Will There Be Crypto Ads in the Super Bowl This Year?

While commercials from crypto companies were a common sight during the NFL’s final game last year, Super Bowl LVII is shaping up to be an advertising desert for the digital asset industry.

When the Los Angeles Rams took on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, the year’s biggest sports broadcast featured numerous advertisements from some of crypto’s biggest exchanges, including the now-bankrupt FTX as well as companies like Coinbase and Crypto.com.

Etoro also advertised itself as a premier venue for trading stocks and crypto, its ad depicting a trader launching skyward after they signed up for the service. And a commercial from Budweiser paid homage to the Nouns DAO NFT collection, showcasing the project’s iconic glasses overlaying a classical painted portrait.

Select crypto companies shelled out millions of dollars to put their companies on display to the masses, hoping to stand out amid a budding industry. And Over 112 million viewers tuned in to watch football’s big game last year, according to the NFL.

Notably, advertisements from FTX and Coinbase were accompanied by Bitcoin giveaways, and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Larry David was the central figure in FTX’s spot, which culminated in the comedian responding "Ehh..." when shown the exchange’s app.

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Even though FTX didn’t trim its headcount prior to the exchange’s collapse, both Coinbase and Crypto.com slimmed their rosters as digital assets came under strain last summer following the implosion of the Terra ecosystem. 

And as layoffs began mounting across the industry, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance Changpeng Zhao specifically referenced passing on ads for the Super Bowl as he said the company was still hiring in June.

Even though crypto prices have drawn down drastically since Bitcoin clung to around $42,000 during the last Super Bowl, a couple of companies are poised to represent the digital assets space as the Kansas City Chiefs get ready to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Web3 company Limit Break is set to run an advertisement during the big game’s first commercial break, where it plans to give away thousands of its Dragon series NFTs to showcase the company’s free-to-own NFT model designed for gaming.

The interactive advertisement will feature a QR code that serves as part of viewers’ introduction to the DigiDaigaku universe, similar to how Coinbase’s ad from last year directed viewers to its website through a bouncing QR code reminiscent of the retro DVD logo. Hopefully, this website doesn’t crash.

In Canada, crypto exchange Bitbuy will return for the second year in a row, but the company is changing its tune. While the company said that its central focus last year was missed opportunities, this time it's basing its message around trust.

To get its point across, the company is doubling the length of its commercial, extending the ad to a full minute. It’s also swapping the NBA’s Kyle Lowry for Scottie Barnes, the league’s most recent Rookie of the Year.

Turbotax will also again reference crypto in its upcoming commercial. Last year’s ad included a crypto trader as one of its prospective customers, and it will do so again this Super Bowl, this time with the addition of a Jason Sudeikis cameo.

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The executive vice president of ad sales for Fox Sports, Mark Evans, said that there will be no representation for crypto companies at the upcoming Super Bowl itself, according to the Associated Press. Fox Sports did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s requests for comment.

A spokesperson for Limit Break said that it’s possible the company’s spot was classified as a gaming advertisement, despite the firm being oriented around blockchain technology. Limit Break’s CEO Gabriel Leydon was previously the CEO of Machine Zone in 2016, when it sponsored an ad for its Mobile Strike game featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger.