Because the blockchain is an immutable piece of data technology that can’t be hacked or altered—a public ledger that permanently logs Bitcoin transactions as a record of events—we had to get creative. Simple messages and characters can be embedded within the data of the Bitcoin transactions in the blockchain. By sending 68 individual, data-filled transactions, we planted our flag on the blockchain forever, using data in a creative way to embed the first ever ad where no one thought was possible.

The blockchain itself is, in simple terms, a large, ongoing record of data. This data is stored as transactions between entities using Bitcoin, and is decentralized, meaning it’s unhackable and unchangeable. Since we couldn’t manipulate the blockchain itself, we had to find a way to work with the technology to store a message within that data. Using the blockchain’s OP_Return function, we discovered we could write 80-character strands of data into each Bitcoin transaction as a sort of “memo,” like one you’d find on a check. Stringing these 80-character data memos together allowed us to make a larger image to get our message across. In total, we created 68 strands of characters, linking them together to “plant our flag” on the blockchain—and create the technology’s first data-driven advertisement.

Rather than rely on traditional channels, we innovated our way into an emerging tech platform, transforming it into a media platform that would drive social currency. We hacked the blockchain placing our ad inside of it. As a result we saw a 229% increase in social mentions and 51.6 million media impressions, in the first week alone. And, all that at a total ad cost of $23.15. In the end we became a part of the blockchain conversation by being a part of it, literally.

Cryptocurrency and the blockchain are the most talked about, reported, discussed, hyped financial terms of the year. Our message that TD Ameritrade now offers Bitcoin futures trading was one that would easily get lost in the mix. So, how could we become part of the conversation in a meaningful way? By becoming part of the data of the blockchain. We did this by cleverly arranging strings of data to create a larger image when all the lines were put together.

We targeted the traders and investors who we knew would be interested in trading Bitcoin futures as well as everyone involved in the crypto craze. We wanted not only to let traders know about our new offering, but to showcase our innovative nature and innate understanding of the blockchain, too. We made our own media channel in a place where our audience already was, so they didn’t have to go anywhere to get the message. Somewhat limited by the blockchain’s functionality, we weren’t able to make a perfectly polished, highly produced ad, but instead had to be smart and scrappy with our placement and use of data. This allowed us to have a little fun, though—and we were able to show off TD Ameritrade’s approachable, clever side along with our forward-thinking mindset.

With a user base of 23.9 million, using the blockchain to spread our message was the perfect way to show our innate understanding of and appreciation for the technology. Putting the first ad in the blockchain seemed like the obvious move, except for one small caveat: it is decentralized and thus highly immutable, unchangeable, and unhackable. We had to find a way to embed a message into the data on the most secure ledger in the world.