Zevia's Clearly Faking It in Coca-Cola AI Spoof

'Delicious, not suspicious'

Coca-Cola’s AI-driven holiday ad proved polarizing. But Zevia’s send-up of that controversial commercial is nothing short of the real thing—by which we mean top-flight spoofery.

The :30 features all manner of tres-obvi digital fakery. These include a three-armed gal slaking her Xmas thirst and a big-ass beverage truck plowing through a snowman.

“It’s that time of year,” a narrator begins, “when artificially-generated people hold up artificial sodas for no reason.”

“It’s the perfect time to get real and try Zevia, naturally delicious soda with zero artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and zero sugar,” we’re told.

“The choice is clear,” the spot concludes. “Time to get the fake out of here, and try something real.”

Though Zevia set out to make a markedly different Yuletide spot, “We decided to quickly pivot some of our scenes to portray a timely and culturally relevant message,” brand CMO Kirsten Suarez tells AdAge. “We hope the ad entertains but also starts a conversation and drives consumer awareness.”

The results fall somewhere between the comic stylings of Liquid Death and Ryan Reynolds. The tone feels pointed but not snarky; the vibe’s a tad naughty, but ultimately nice. And that’s presumably where a challenger brand wants to be.

Agencies Multi and AdWaken.AI helped develop the campaign.