The Crypto Bowl is Dead: Long Live the AI Bowl!

If you are tuning into Super Bowl LX this Sunday expecting to scan a QR code for free Bitcoin, prepare to be disappointed. The era of aggressive crypto advertising during America’s biggest televised event is officially over.

As the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots prepare to face off at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, massive amounts of money will be spent on advertisement spots, with a 30-second window costing up to $10 million. This year’s ads will be focused on AI, with companies like Google and Anthropic spending big. Crypto had its day in the headlines of the Super Bowl. That was the “Crypto Bowl” of 2022.

The Crypto Bowl

At the peak of the 2022 bull run, crypto exchanges were awash with venture capital and eager to burn it on mainstream visibility. 

Coinbase, for instance, famously spent millions on a 60-second spot that featured nothing but a colorful QR code. People who followed the link could get $15 in free Bitcoin for creating a Coinbase account. It was a massive gamble that paid off, crashing the Coinbase app with 20 million visits to the landing page in one minute. Coinbase’s then-Chief Product Officer, Surojit Chatterjee, described the advert at the time as “historic and unprecedented.”

Even more infamous was the commercial from the now-defunct FTX. The ad featured comedian Larry David as a time-traveling skeptic who dismisses history’s greatest inventions: the wheel, the lightbulb, and of course, the FTX platform. The tagline, ‘Don’t miss out on crypto. And don’t be like Larry,’ became a symbol of the industry’s hubris.

Less than nine months later, FTX collapsed catastrophically, and the ‘Crypto Winter’ began. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried eventually faced multiple fraud charges, and the ‘Crypto Bowl’ was recast in public memory as a warning sign rather than a debut party. Later, Matt Damon was mocked by everyone from journalists to South Park for his ‘Fortune Favors the Brave’ campaign for Crypto.com, which reached its peak during that same 2022 Super Bowl cycle.

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AI takes over

Following the 2022 hangover and the subsequent “crypto winter,” networks have become increasingly wary of the sector. The appetite for risking corporate reputations on high-stakes financial products has vanished among major broadcasters.

On the biggest day in sports betting, prediction markets have been sidelined by an ad ban, proving that even on a day defined by wagering, the NFL is still playing it safe

The narrative shift is palpable. In 2022, the battle was Coinbase vs. FTX. Today, it is Google vs. Anthropic.

Both tech giants are releasing major spots during the game. Anthropic’s debut advert takes direct aim at its chatbot rival, OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Google is pulling at heartstrings with its “New Home” ad, which demonstrates how Gemini AI helps a family visualize and redesign their future living space.

Even smaller AI startups are getting in on the action; Genspark is set to release a high-profile halftime spot starring Matthew Broderick. These companies have emptied their war chests into Artificial Intelligence, and this Sunday, they are finally ready to capitalize on that massive potential.

One thing that won’t be there is Bitcoin. The crypto industry had its time in the Super Bowl spotlight in 2022, but the world has moved on. We are simply not in the same place we were back then.

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The post The Crypto Bowl is Dead: Long Live the AI Bowl! appeared first on BitcoinChaser.