The Currency analytics
By Sydney TheCMO
Coinbase jumped back into Super Bowl advertising this year. The crypto exchange bought a spot during the 2026 game, ending a four-year absence from the event that costs companies…
The crypto giant's commercial stood out from all the artificial intelligence ads flooding the broadcast.
Crypto ads vanished after 2022. That year was wild.
Back then, crypto companies threw money at Super Bowl spots like there was no tomorrow. FTX, Crypto.com, and others fought for viewers' attention when Bitcoin was riding high.
Binance took a different route this year. The world's biggest crypto exchange skipped the Super Bowl entirely, focusing instead on partnerships and community stuff.
And the advertising landscape shifted big time. AI companies seized their moment, showing off chatbots and machine learning tools to over 115 million viewers.
FTX made news on February 8 with a different strategy entirely. Instead of buying expensive TV spots, they announced plans to fund educational programs about cryptocurrency…
NBCUniversal charged a record $7 million for thirty-second spots this year. That's up from $6.5 million in 2025, and way more than the $5.
Smaller crypto firms stayed away completely. They can't compete with Coinbase's marketing budget, so they're sticking to targeted digital campaigns instead.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau released data on February 9 showing digital ad spending jumped 20% in the tech sector.
Kraken surprised everyone with a partnership announcement just before the game. The crypto exchange teamed up with an AI company to add smart analytics to their trading platform.
February 11 brought more analysis from the Advertising Research Foundation. Their report called out the unique challenges crypto advertisers face compared to other industries.
The foundation's research showed crypto ads need to work twice as hard to convince viewers. People remember the crashes, the scandals, the celebrities pushing coins that went to…
NBCUniversal executives were happy with the mix of advertisers this year. The network confirmed that crypto companies are welcome back as long as they meet compliance standards.
Viewership numbers stayed strong throughout the game, with the crypto ads getting decent social media buzz.