Coinbase 'Free Bitcoin' Super Bowl Ad Causes Site to Briefly Crash

Coinbase made the first big crypto splash during this year's Super Bowl after the company aired a bold commercial that consisted of nothing but a QR code floating around the screen for 60 seconds.

The ad also quickly flashed a Coinbase URL at the end, leading to a website displaying a promotion for $15 in free Bitcoin for new customers who sign up in the next two days.

The Coinbase commercial appeared to be a success—perhaps too much of one. Shortly after it aired, people tweeted that the company's site and app had crashed.

The outage didn't last long as Coinbase site was up a few minutes later, including its homepage that displayed the giveaway promotion along with messages like "Less Talk, More Bitcoin" and "WAGMI."

Meanwhile, the ad itself has elicited plenty of buzz on social media, something that an editor at AdWeek noted will no doubt please Coinbase's marketing team:

Others noted the ad's ultra-low production costs compared to a typical Super Bowl commercial. And one crypto commentator called attention to Coinbase's technical meltdown, but praised the ad as clever and original:

Finally, the ad appeared to make a special impact with a certain market segment that, unfortunately for Coinbase, don't buy crypto. Behold this dog's fascination with the floating QR code:

The Coinbase ad was hardly the only crypto ad to air. Rival FTX also made its Super Bowl debut with a commercial featuring comedian Larry David, while ads by Bud Light and Turbo Tax also mentioned cryptocurrency.

Decrypt has a full rundown of all things crypto taking place during this year's big game. Check out our live blog for timely updates.