Coinbase Bouncing QR Code Super Bowl Commercial

About

Coinbase Bouncing QR Code Super Bowl Commercial refers to a commercial played during Super Bowl LVI (56) in mid-February 2022 of a QR code bouncing around the television screen for over 20 seconds, mimicking the Bouncing DVD Logo. Viewers who scanned the QR code with their phones were able to set up a Coinbase account with $15 in free Bitcoin for new signups, though the curiosity of the advertisement resulted in the site crashing shortly after. The ad was widely discussed online and covered in the media following the Super Bowl.

Origin

On February 13th, 2022, during Super Bowl 56, Coinbase, a cryptocurrency bank and distribution service, aired an ad in which it played a QR code that changed colors and bounced around the screen in a nod to 1990s nostalgia (specifically the Bouncing DVD Logo), making thousands of viewers scramble to scan the code using their smartphones during the NFL game. Those who scanned the code were then directed to the Coinbase website with a timed offer that would give them $15 in free Bitcoin after they created a new account, with new accounts being able to enter into a drawing for a chance to win $3 million in crypto. The ad caused a stir online shortly after it aired with people on social media detailing their attempts at scanning the code in time before the Coinbase website crashed upon being flooded with users due to the commercial (shown below).

Spread

Due to the number of people trying to access the Coinbase website on February 13th, 2022, during the Super Bowl, it ended up crashing for many and displaying various errors. People began complaining about the crashed website that night, resulting in an influx of discussions, memes and other jokes online shortly after the ad aired. For example, Twitter^[3] user TurnerNovak tweeted a joke about the ad causing the platform to crash that day, earning over 570 likes and 20 retweets in 15 hours (shown below).

Because of the website crashing and people being unable to scan the QR code in time, the official Coinbase Twitter^[2] account tweeted out a video and explanation for those who were unable to understand the ad, saying that every new account on Coinbase by February 15th, 2022, would receive $15 in Bitcoin (shown below),

On February 13th, 2022, the Mr. Peanut Twitter^[1] account tweeted out their own version of the QR code as a parody of Coinbase's ad, with a peanut swapped in for the code, while asking if they missed anything (shown below). The tweet received over 1,000 likes and 200 retweets in roughly 15 hours.

What did the QR code say? I was busy getting snacks #PlantersAllorOne pic.twitter.com/PWMzKFdY1q

— Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) February 14, 2022

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External References