Coinbase’s new ads show everyday use cases for cryptocurrency

Interest in cryptocurrency is surging once again, but it’s still hardly mainstream—something Coinbase is working to change. Its latest effort in this regard is a new ad campaign, created in-house, that aims to normalize crypto in everyday financial use cases. Ivan Zachariáš of Smuggler directed three spots featuring everyday moments of sending money, grouped under the theme “Crypto isn’t for you. Until it is.” The first spot shows how easy it is to buy an automobile with crypto, particularly over a weekend when banks are closed. Another shows how crypto can cut down on credit card transaction fees for small businesses. The third highlights how fast people can send money across borders in a pinch. “Many people are really interested in [crypto], but they don’t really think it’s for them,” Michael Tabtabai, VP of creative at Coinbase, told Ad Age in an interview. “People just don’t know where to start or realize there are other use cases beyond investments. With this work, we wanted to highlight some of the simple, modern, everyday challenges people are navigating in the traditional financial system as they go about their daily lives.” The three highlighted use cases were among the most relatable as Coinbase developed scripts for the campaign. “They can happen anywhere in the country. They can happen in any age range. It’s something people can wrap their head around,” said Tabtabai. “These situations are also where the technology behind crypto can update the financial system and really move things forward.” Also read: Coinbase says young people’s gloomy future is fixable in stark ads directed by Mike Mills Coinbase has been doing standout creative work for years, from the famous bouncing QR code on the Super Bowl to ads on Liquid Death packaging to last year’s striking spots directed by Mike Mills about young people’s bleak view of legacy institutions. Tabtabai said the idea is to leverage creativity in any form to make Coinbase’s budgets—which are smaller than many financial institutions—work harder. “There’s lots of ways to do breakthrough creative, and I think we’ve tried them all over the last several years,” he said. “It’s about, how do we get a thought or an idea or a point of view through any given media environment? And its about being present, not just speaking on behalf of the company and the brand but on behalf of the industry. That’s worked well for us because we have a consistency, especially for the community that’s followed crypto for a long time. And it helps people, when they are ready to try this technology, to learn a little bit more.” The spots will run from Nov. 26 to Dec. 31 on TNT, ESPN and ABC, with an emphasis on NBA telecasts, in addition to digital and social. The films will also be mintable, inviting an onchain component that creates another point of connection with consumers. More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

Coinbase’s new ads show everyday use cases for cryptocurrency

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