MAKA CEO on why brands shouldn’t rush into AI-led advertising

As global brands increasingly lean on artificial intelligence (AI) to produce faster, cheaper campaigns, marketing expert Sean Aquilina, CEO of MAKA Visuals, believes that this growing trend risks prioritising novelty over authenticity.

In recent weeks, Coca-Cola’s AI-generated Christmas advert has reignited debate within the creative industry.

The spot, made with generative AI tools, has faced widespread backlash online, with critics describing it as lacking emotional depth and visual consistency. For Mr Aquilina, this reaction highlights an important truth that marketers cannot ignore.

“Honestly, the way we see it is that brands are chasing AI right now because it’s trendy, it looks fast and cheap, but that isn’t necessarily true and doesn’t automatically make the work effective,” he said.

According to Mr Aquilina, while AI offers clear benefits in terms of efficiency, it still falls short in delivering emotional resonance – especially in branding campaigns tied to strong sentiment and tradition, such as Christmas. “With Christmas campaigns, audiences can feel when something’s off. The emotional connection is the whole point, and AI still struggles with that,” he explained. “This doesn’t mean we won’t get there, but not quite yet.”

Instead, Mr Aquilina sees AI as an effective support tool rather than a creative replacement. “AI adds value in the background work, such as helping teams explore creative concepts faster, research and tweak visuals. But the story and tone still needs the human touch,” he said.

At MAKA Visuals, Mr Aquilina and his team use AI selectively to speed up research and brainstorming processes – but never as the main driver of creative direction. “We use AI as a creative tool, but nothing much more than that so far,” he noted. “Being experienced in the field, we easily see where the loopholes are, and these can be detrimental to a brand in the long run.”

Looking ahead to next year’s marketing cycle, Mr Aquilina advises brands to treat AI as an aid, not the focus. “We suggest brands keep AI as a support layer, not the main act, and yes, being transparent about using it is important, people respect honesty more than perfection,” he said.

He also warned against brands allowing the technology to overshadow the message. “The campaign (or the work) shouldn’t only live just because it was generated through AI. Many brands are doing that right now–they shift their message towards AI rather than what they need to get across to their audience.”

For Mr Aquilina, the future of advertising lies in a balance between innovation and authenticity. As automation becomes ubiquitous, he believes that imperfections – and the emotion behind them – will once again become a brand’s greatest asset.

“This is a new era of how we work; we keep adapting and evolving,” he concluded. “I feel that the imperfect human touch will soon become so valuable, especially when everything is going to look ultra-polished and perfect, because of AI.”