Prada's hand-drawn ad beats Coca-Cola's AI one, columnist says

The column sets Prada's Holiday 2026 campaign against Coca-Cola's Holiday 2025 advertisement as a study in contrasting brand choices. Prada's "Drawing Prada: Animated by Hand" featured celebrity ambassadors in an animated winter wonderland and a follow-up video on veteran animator John Pomeroy, whose work the columnist links to "authenticity and truth." Coca-Cola's ad, by contrast, used AI-generated forests and cartoonish animals, and the piece reports thousands of frustrated comments alongside its three million views.

The writer's explanation turns on class: Prada's thousand-dollar accessories are a considered purchase, so the brand has reason to court customers who weigh ethics, while Coca-Cola's affordable, repeat-purchase products are everywhere and the company can absorb backlash. The piece also argues the working class is being trained to rely on AI — from students pushed onto AI tools to chatbots sold as replacements for community — and notes data centers placed primarily in low-income communities as a further cost.

The columnist closes by rejecting the premise that creativity should be a luxury, urging readers to make art themselves or ask a friend before turning to AI. It is an opinion piece, so its claims reflect the writer's view rather than reported findings.