Brands Risk Losing Cultural Connection When AI Replaces Narrative And Creative Intent

The 2025 holiday season delivered a sharp contrast in marketing philosophy. Coca-Cola’s AI-generated Christmas ad put the technology front and center, drawing criticism for its uncanny visuals and thin narrative. At the same time, the Grinch seemed to be everywhere, from Walmart commercials to McDonald’s social feeds, anchoring campaigns that felt witty, cohesive, and unmistakably human. When AI becomes the centerpiece, the work risks feeling like a generic tech demo. When it stays in the background, supporting a strong, human-led idea, the result can be magnetic.

Hannah Cameron is Senior Director of Content Marketing at Viral Nation, with more than 13 years of experience building high-impact content and brand strategies for fast-growing tech companies, including Rewind and Affinity. She focuses on turning content into measurable revenue, brand trust, and long-term loyalty, using AI as a force multiplier while keeping human creativity and strategic craft at the center.

"Build stories. Build worlds, not isolated campaigns. AI is very helpful, but please do not make it center stage because that is not who brands should be," says Cameron. For her, the Coca-Cola ad is a perfect case study of what happens when a brand prioritizes the tool over the story. The ad features jarring visual errors—like a truck’s wheel count fluctuating wildly between shots—and brand-incongruent characters, like a random sloth in place of the iconic polar bears. But these aren’t just funny mistakes. She argues they are symptoms of a deeper strategic misstep.

• Hollow assets: "It feels like the creative brief has become, 'Look what AI can do,' instead of, 'Here’s the story we want to tell,'" Cameron explains. "At that point, you’re not building a narrative or a world. You’re generating assets and hoping they add up to something meaningful." That shift is what makes so many AI-driven ads feel hollow. When the technology leads, the idea follows, and the work starts to resemble a feature demo rather than a campaign with purpose. Without a clear story anchoring the execution, the output may look impressive, but it lacks emotional pull, brand distinction, and any reason for an audience to care.

• AI with intention: The result is a creative landscape where many AI-driven ads risk looking and feeling the same. "Everyone is generating the same thing, so there's no distinction," Cameron notes. "It all blends together." It misses the point of holiday marketing, which she believes thrives on human connection and storytelling. "If you put the work into telling a genuinely good story and then used AI in small, intentional ways, you’d be far better off than bragging about how much AI went into an ad that nobody actually connects with."

The risk goes beyond a single failed campaign. It’s about alienating audiences who are wary of content that feels fully automated. Cameron is clear that the answer isn’t to reject AI, but to put it back in its proper place. "I think it belongs in the back end," she says. She points to ChatGPT’s own debut ad, which led with people rather than technology, as proof that even AI companies understand this instinct. The strongest campaigns treat AI like a capable assistant, not the main character, with human judgment, taste, and intent still doing the real creative work.

• Mean, green, marketing machine: On the other end of the spectrum, Walmart's Grinch shows what happens when character and craft lead the work. Cameron says the creative is so strong that the tools behind it fade into the background. "There is probably AI involved somewhere, but that’s the point. You don’t see it, and you don’t care," she says. "You’re engaged, you’re entertained, and the Grinch feels completely intact as a character. The spots are funny, the partnerships make sense, and it all feels true to the character."

• World building: The campaign’s brilliance lies in its strategy of multichannel domination. By taking over social channels, appearing at NFL games, and launching countless brand collaborations, the Grinch created an immersive world rather than just an ad. Cameron notes that the approach feels less like marketing and more like entertainment. "They’re building a world. With multichannel presence, repeated touchpoints, and a consistent tone, the campaign works because it feels intentional everywhere it shows up."

• Running with the polar bears: The core lesson is about prioritizing character and narrative over anonymous content. Cameron argues that while standalone content is easily scrolled past, "characters and personalities incite interaction." Her advice for a legacy brand like Coca-Cola is to return to its own iconic characters. "Lean into Santa. Bring the polar bears back," she suggests. "When a character lands, run with it."

Looking ahead, Cameron expects the gap between effective and forgettable marketing to widen. AI will become more embedded in the creative process, but the brands that stand out will be the ones willing to put their people back in view. "The best brands will show the humans behind the work," she predicts, using AI to test, refine, and accelerate ideas without replacing the creative judgment that gives them meaning.

Winning in 2026 won’t come down to who has the biggest budget or the flashiest tools. It will come down to who builds the clearest world and shows up with purpose inside it. "The brands that win are the ones that say, 'We have the strongest characters. We’ve built the clearest world, and we move at the speed of culture,'" Cameron concludes. "What a lot of brands missed this year is that AI can’t create a character or a world on its own. If it isn’t connected to culture, it doesn’t land."