Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, Coca-Cola is launching a “José vs. Mourinho” social content series hosted not by José Mourinho himself, but by his AI “digital twin.” Mourinho is the incoming manager of Real Madrid, which apparently still leaves room for being rendered into scalable brand content.
The twin was built by Coca-Cola, Footballco, and entertainment studio/management company GRAiL, powered by Google Cloud, and trained using new audio and video captured directly with Mourinho, a brand spokesperson said. The series will run across Footballco’s GOAL in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with subtitles in 10 languages. More than 200 pieces of content are planned during the tournament, beginning June 11.
Despite the AI angle, this is not a set-it-and-forget-it machine for post-match banter. Coca-Cola is running the twin through a “human war room,” including representatives from Mourinho’s camp for brand safety. The team watches matches, scripts post-game reactions, routes them through brand and talent approvals, then uses AI to deliver pre-approved commentary in Mourinho’s likeness. Financial and contractual terms for the digital twin were not disclosed.
Footballco president Stefano D’Anna framed the pitch as daily relevance rather than the usual one- or two-hour celebrity shoot, though he added that the project took several months to set up — longer than traditional execution because of the approvals involved. Sarah May Bates, svp/group creative director and director of AI and innovation at RPA, speaking generally about AI production, said the tools can reduce hard production costs like travel and physical shoot logistics by 40–50%, while allowing more variations per asset.
Coke’s willingness to put synthetic humans near the front of brand creative comes with the usual combustion risk, especially after criticism of its AI reworkings of “Holidays are Coming” in 2024 and 2025. Mickael Vinet, Coca-Cola’s global vp of sports, music and entertainment marketing and partnerships, said the company is looking at how AI can help it be “more relevant” and faster, while adding that it may not get everything right the first time.
Skeptics argue this also rewires the celebrity value exchange. Manifest’s Steve Slivka called a virtual character “disposable” compared to alignment with an “actual human.” The wider market is moving in fits and starts: Snickers used an AI-powered Mourinho for personalized fan interactions in 2024, and Avocados From Mexico ran a Super Bowl effort using actor Rob Riggle as a realistic AI avatar for predictions and guacamole recipes.
Meanwhile, Paul Caiozzo, CCO at Tombras, said consumers — especially younger ones — “really don’t like noticing AI.” IAB research landed in the same awkward neighborhood: 82% of ad execs believed Gen Z and millennials felt positively about AI-generated ads, but only 45% of those consumers actually did. Starting this month, New York will require disclosure when AI-generated synthetic performers are used in ad creative. Convenient timing for anyone planning to invent their next spokesperson.
Read more at Digiday.