Coca-Cola has invited digital artists from around the world to use a ‘first-of-its-kind’ AI platform to create original artwork with creative assets from the Coca-Cola archives.
The AI creator platform was built exclusively for the multinational drinks brand by OpenAI and Bain & Company and marks the first time a platform has combined the capabilities of GPT-4 and DALL-E.
Through the ‘Create Real Magic’ contest, artists from the US, Australia and select countries in Europe can download and submit their work for the opportunity to be featured on Coke’s digital billboards in London’s Piccadilly Circus and New York’s Time Square.
A group of 30 creators will be chosen to travel to The Coca-Cola Company’s global headquarters in Atlanta for the ‘Real Magic Creative Academy’, a three day-workshop curated by the brand’s global design and creative teams in collaboration with OpenAI. The group will create content for Coca-Cola licensed merchandising, digital collectables and more.
“We’re excited to unleash the next generation of creativity offered by this rapidly emerging technology,” The Coca-Cola Company chiarman and CEO, James Quincey, said. “We see opportunities to enhance our marketing through cutting-edge AI, along with exploring ways to improve our business operations and capabilities.”
Four AI artists – Emma Sofija (United States), Chris Branch (Europe), Paul Parsons (Europe) and Ean Hwa Huag (Asia) – kickstarted the crowdsourcing campaign.
Coca-Cola Trademark global head of creative strategy and integrated content, Pratik Thakar, added: “It’s an experiment to see where co-creation can take us. We’re moving at the speed of culture with an innovative program that’s very tangible for the creative community. ‘Create Real Magic’ gives digital artists the unique opportunity to play in a custom-created sandbox, powered by GPT-4 and DALL-E, and democratizes both our brand iconography and highest-profile advertising assets.
“Real artists, actual humans, are using AI technology, which is algorithmic and mathematical, to create an output that’s truly magical.”
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Part of Coca-Cola’s ‘Real Magic’ global brand platform, the company is exploring ways to use AI beyond marketing – ‘from internal knowledge management and workflows, to customer service and ordering, to point-of-sale material creation in collaboration with Coca-Cola bottlers.’
Coca-Cola global chief marketing officer, Manolo Arroyo, concluded: “We’re just scratching the surface of what we believe will help create the industry’s most effective and efficient end-to-end marketing model.
“We will begin to leverage OpenAI’s technology in our marketing function to re-imagine how we produce creative content, increasing the velocity from weeks to days. We see many applications of AI – including content creation and rapid iteration, hyper-personalizing content and messaging for consumers and customers, and driving two-way conversations with consumers.”
