That minute-long QR code Super Bowl commercial for Coinbase crashed the company’s website

But did it even hit the corner?

February 13, 2022

1 minute to read

We knew to expect commercials from cryptocurrency companies during this year’s Super Bowl, but what we weren’t expecting was a full 30-second commercial with nothing but a QR code bouncing around screens like your DVD player’s logo used to do if you left a movie on pause.

The commercial, from cryptocurrency investing company Coinbase, referenced all kinds of old tech, from the bouncing screensaver you always hope will end up in the corner of your screen, to the good old blue screen that might show before a home video in the 1990s.

If you use your phone to access the QR code link, it takes you to Coinbase’s website. According to The Verge, the commercial was so popular it crashed the website.

Soon after, the company tweeted a $15 Bitcoin giveaway for people who sign up in the next two days.

ICYMI 👀

Now that we have your attention we'd like to announce that we're giving away $15 in BTC to anyone who joins Coinbase by 2/15.

Click below for more info and RT to tell your friends!

Sign up and see terms here → https://t.co/fKHisXZJJc pic.twitter.com/SDWUup2Ql5
— Coinbase 🛡️ (@coinbase) February 14, 2022

While it’s unlikely that the millions of people who used the QR code will actually start using Coinbase, the company certainly gets points for creating an intriguing ad.