AI Is Smart, But People Have Feelings

How to use AI in marketing without losing people’s trust

Let’s clear one big myth first.

People don’t “hate AI.”
People also don’t “fail to understand AI.”

Most people are actually very clear.

They like AI when it feels fun, helpful, or adds something extra.
They get irritated when AI feels like a shortcut — especially where emotions matter.

Think of it like this
You’re okay with a mixer-grinder helping in the kitchen.
But if someone serves you “AI-made maa ke haath ka khana” — you’ll feel cheated.

That’s exactly what happened with Coca-Cola and McDonald’s this Christmas.

What Coke did right with AI 

Coca-Cola has used AI in its Christmas campaigns before.
And yes, people have criticised it sometimes.

But here’s why Coke usually gets away with it.

1. Coke used AI like a playground, not a replacement

Coke launched “Create Real Magic”, where people could use AI to make artwork using Coke’s own brand assets.

Co-creation = when the audience creates with the brand, not for the brand.

So people were not watching an AI replace artists.
They were playing inside Coke’s world.

Just like:

• Zomato asking users to create funny food memes

• Swiggy letting people personalise festival messages

The brand stays first.
AI stays in the background.

2. Coke protected its brand “vibe”

Coke Christmas has very strong signals:

• Santa

• Red trucks

• Warm glow

• Nostalgia
  

  

When AI is used inside these fixed rules, it still feels like Coke.

Brand codes = visual and emotional signals people instantly recognise (logo, colours, tone, vibe).

So even if an AI image feels a little odd, people say:
“Okay, still Coke.”

3. Low emotional risk

Coke didn’t ask AI to deliver the main emotional moment of Christmas.

If a user-made image looks weird, people shrug and move on.

Because the emotion was never fully handed over to AI.

Where McDonald’s Netherlands went wrong 

McDonald’s Netherlands released an AI-generated Christmas ad.

It talked about December being
“the most terrible time of the year.”

People hated it.
The ad was removed.

And here’s the important part
It wasn’t lazy work.

There were humans involved.
But audiences don’t judge effort.

They judge feeling.

Why people reacted so strongly

Christmas ads are one place where people demand human warmth:

• Real faces

• Natural expressions

• Emotional timing

• Small human imperfections

When AI handled these things, people noticed every flaw.

And the tone made it worse.

Joking about Christmas only works when it feels warm and cheeky.
Cold-looking AI visuals + sarcastic tone = double danger.

They stacked two risks:

1. AI visuals people already doubt

2. A tone that needed extra charm

The real lesson (very important)

This is not about:

• “AI is bad”

• “AI is good”

It’s about where you place AI.

Coke uses AI where people are happy to play.
McDonald’s used AI where people wanted pure human emotion.

Simple rules before using AI in marketing

1. Decide the emotion first

If the moment needs:

• Trust

• Warmth

• Nostalgia

• Sincerity

Keep humans in charge.

You can still use AI for:

• Speed

• Multiple versions

• Language localisation

• Storyboards

But not for the emotional heart.

2. If AI is visible, lock it inside your brand world

Strong brands like Coke, Amul, Fevicol, Tata have clear identities.

AI works better when it cannot go “out of character.”

3. Don’t stack risks

If your idea already needs goodwill (festivals, emotions, humour),
don’t add another risky layer like visible AI.

4. Ask one honest question

“If AI was removed tomorrow, would this idea still work?”

If the answer is no,
you’re looking at a tech demo, not a brand idea.

Final thought

AI will keep getting better.

The real question is:
Will brands get better at choosing the right job for AI?

Because people don’t reject technology.
They reject anything that feels fake in moments that matter.