The 2022 Super Bowl was inundated with crypto ads as four crypto trading platforms and one decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) aired ads promoting the nascent industry.
Reactions varied widely, but the majority in the crypto community seemed to be impressed with the ads by major crypto exchanges Coinbase and FTX.
Arguably, the most popular of Super Bowl crypto ads was Coinbase's minute-long bouncing QR code, which invited new customers to sign up and get USD 15 in bitcoin (BTC) for free. The ad was popular enough that the Coinbase app crashed following its airing.
Many crypto users on social platforms praised Coinbase for its ingenious ad design. "Probably the most effective ad so far during the Super Bowl! Was it just me or did you also open up the camera on your phone and scan the QR code" asked certified broadcast meteorologist at FOX2News Michael Estime.
Inspired by the iconic bouncing DVD logo meme, the ad almost entirely consisted of a colorful bouncing QR code. And, it seems like few managed to resist and not scan the QR code.
"Coinbase was my fav I was just staring at the QR code for about 15 seconds and then scanned and opted for the chance to win 1M it was pretty fun," one Reddit user said.
However, the fact that Coinbase crashed prompted some backlash from within the crypto community. For one, crypto enthusiast Edward Snowden, an American former computer intelligence consultant and whistle-blower, criticized the exchange for not preparing.
"Coinbase spending [USD] 16,000,000 on a Superbowl ad to direct people to their website and [USD] 0 to make sure that website doesn't crash 10 seconds after the ad starts is so very internet," Snowden said.
Larry David, the comedy legend behind Seinfeld and Curb Your
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