Coinbase spent $14M on a Super Bowl ad of a bouncing QR code that didn’t work

Everyone is going to have opinions on Super Bowl commercials, but I think it’s safe to say that Coinbase managed to create one of the worst ads of all time.

I’m in awe of whatever ad agency sold this idea to Coinbase. That had to be a Don Draper-ass pitch to convince a company do spend millions on a bouncing, color-changing QR code with some forgettable music bouncing around the screen for a solid minute. It’s an incredible waste of money, and it’s almost such a bold waste that I almost respect it. Almost.

Anyone who says this is a great idea is an idiot. Sorry. How many people actually cared enough to hold their phone up and do anything beyond have a mild interest in the result? Then, assuming you actually did the work when you could have been eating, drinking, peeing, literally anything else — after all that, the website was down.

So, good job Coinbase, you played yourself.