The Super Bowl is the biggest media moment in the US. It is also a multi-screen viewing experience - 59% of viewers watch the game on both the TV screen and a mobile device. Knowing how connected viewers are to their smartphones – whether they’re watching, betting or more - we leaned in with a mobile-first execution and a direct consumer journey: scan the QR code bouncing on the TV with your phone to get the Coinbase app and then get rewarded with Bitcoin.

Since its inception, Coinbase has focused on helping everyone—from total beginners to advanced traders—access cryptocurrency with an easy to use, safe and secure platform. While they have grown rapidly over the years without mass brand exposure, they hit a tipping point in 2021 and needed to take their mission to the next level.

Their goal is to enable 1 billion people to access the cryptoeconomy—a lofty growth goal from the already massive 73 million people they serviced by the end of 2021. So the business challenge we addressed was twofold: (1) introduce Coinbase to the masses while breaking through the clutter of their competition, and (2) get people to engage in a way that’s authentic to Coinbase’s crypto-native roots.

How do you get millions of people curious about crypto to participate in the category for the first time? Make it easy for them to try it. No dancing puppies. No talking babies. No celebrities. Just an invitation to engage.

To combat the category complexities and drive participation, we agreed the right strategy would prioritize action over lip service. In what became the breakthrough moment of the night, our TVC opened and closed on an innocent, unbranded QR code bouncing from wall to wall in the style of the classic DVD screensaver, an internet icon with an almost cult-like following of its own. An arguably antithetical approach to advertising’s biggest stage, Coinbase gave 112MM people :60 to engage with a little bouncing QR code.

Love it or hate it, it worked. In just sixty seconds, we created a culture-bending moment that brought in 445K+ new customers to Coinbase.

Cryptocurrency saw strong awareness growth in 2021, but nearly two-thirds of all Americans still didn’t understand cryptocurrency and didn’t think crypto was for “people like them.” However, 45% of the growth audience said they’d be more likely to consider crypto if someone guided them through the process. Simplifying this insight further: the best way to learn is to do.

And thus, “Less Talk, More Bitcoin'' was born. Our idea centered on creating a mass participation moment to bring newcomers into the cryptoeconomy in the simplest way—by showing them that getting involved is as easy as downloading an app.

The Super Bowl is America’s biggest stage for advertising with 112 million viewers tuning in. Not only that, our research showed that the Super Bowl reached 70% of our bullseye Crypto Beginner audience, making it the perfect platform to introduce Coinbase and ignite mass participation.

No reruns. No social media support. Just one sixty second TV spot.

To stay true to Coinbase’s egalitarian values, we produced the antithesis to every other hyper-produced Super Bowl ad: a :60 lo-fi video featuring a large, bouncing QR code that drove to a simple landing page where customers could enter sweepstakes. This simple sweepstakes execution provided two massive incentives for customers and two equally massive opportunities for Coinbase:

+ Attract hundreds of thousands new Coinbase users by giving them $15 in Bitcoin for free

+ Encourage existing users to return to their app for the chance to win $1M in Bitcoin

Given the unusual execution and minimalist branding of the spot, we worked closely with NBC (and the NFL) to push the boundaries of what was legally and technically possible to air. Coinbase challenged the status quo creatively and also redefined how the Super Bowl works with their partners.

Coinbase’s bouncing QR code shattered expectations with staggering lifts in brand consideration, participation and revenue.

In just one sixty second TVC with no supporting media:

+ 20MM+ instant landing page hits

+ 1.4MM existing users opted into the sweepstakes

+ 14 billion+ earned media impressions

+ Est. $130MM earned media value

+ 300% increase in brand consideration

Even with a multi-step sign-up process that requires customers to enter private information like ID and SSN after engaging with the QR code, Coinbase received a whopping 445K+ attributed new account sign-ups. Again, in just sixty seconds. The 1 year ROI was positive within weeks of airing.