Crypto Exchange Coinbase Returns to Super Bowl Spotlight with Backstreet Boys Throwback
The crypto platform's Super Bowl advertisement sparked debate across social media, though Coinbase maintains generating discussion was its primary objective.
The cryptocurrency exchange's 60-second commercial during America's highest-rated sporting broadcast primarily featured animated text displaying words from the Backstreet Boys' 1997 classic track "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)."
In a public statement, Coinbase's chief marketing officer Catherine Ferdon explained the commercial was designed to "bring people together for a shared experience that highlights how the crypto community has grown."
This marks Coinbase's return to Super Bowl advertising for the first time since 2022, when the company launched its initial campaign with a one-minute spot showcasing a QR code that changed colors while bouncing across the screen in a manner reminiscent of a DVD screensaver.
That QR code commercial led viewers to a webpage providing $15 in Bitcoin (BTC) to new Coinbase registrants, generating such overwhelming response that the company's website temporarily went down and allegedly received 20 million visits within 60 seconds.
Latest ad divides, but that means it worked, says Coinbase
The cryptocurrency platform's recent Super Bowl commercial generated polarized reactions across social media platforms, with certain X users claiming the advertisement triggered negative responses as cryptocurrency has diminished in popularity during a market downturn and because of connections to the Trump administration, while other viewers commended it for its simplicity and memorability.
"If you're talking about it, it worked," Coinbase posted to X in response to a user who said the company's ad was "terrible."
Additional social media users also criticized the commercial, with one X user posting "the room I'm in ERUPTED in boos when we found out it was a Coinbase ad," while Axios reporter Andrew Solender said a room he was in "burst into groans and shouts of 'fuck you'" after the ad aired.
Ethereum Foundation engineer Chase Wright said that "half of the people at the party I was at were singing along and laughed when it was Coinbase," while another X user said it was "lowkey genius," as those who watched it "will 100% remember Coinbase if they ever want to buy crypto."
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong defended the ad on X, arguing that "most people half-watch commercials (buzzed, in a loud room, with lots of people). It takes something unique to break through."