Bitbuy Shifts Super Bowl Ad Focus From ‘Missed Opportunities’ to ‘Trust’

Canadian crypto exchange’s Super Bowl spot once again features an NBA star, but seeks different message after wild 2022

article-image

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes in Bitbuy’s Super Bowl ad | Bitbuy modified by Blockworks

share

Canadian crypto exchange Bitbuy’s upcoming Super Bowl ad has a different vibe than the company’s 2022 spot after an eventful year shook the industry.  

Bitbuy is expected to be among the only crypto firms set to advertise around the NFL championship game on Feb. 12 as companies in the space cut budgets and look to regroup as the crypto winter continues.

Of last year’s crypto advertisers, FTX went bankrupt and online brokerage eToro told Blockworks it won’t be running an ad. Coinbase last month implemented cost-saving measures and exchange OKX, which planned to buy an ad, has changed its mind.

The Bitbuy ad, which went live online Thursday, will be the firm’s second consecutive Super Bowl showing. NBA star Kyle Lowry appeared in the company’s ad last year featured during the game’s Canadian broadcast. 

Bitbuy’s upcoming 60-second commercial, also to appear only in Canada, is set to run within an hour before the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles kick off. 

Crypto markets plummeted amid the collapse of Terra’s algorithmic stablecoin in May and the subsequent bankruptcies of companies such as Three Arrows Capital. The industry was once again rattled as FTX crashed in November, shaking confidence in centralized exchanges and similar entities. 

“Whereas the theme for Bitbuy’s 2022 commercial was missed opportunities, 2023’s theme is trust,” Binu Koshy, Bitbuy’s branding and communications director, told Blockworks. 

“We wanted to remind people in a sort of outlandish way that by being locally based and fully regulated, Bitbuy provides investing services with a personal touch.” 

The new Bitbuy spot features Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, who Bitbuy marketed as a brand ambassador Tuesday.

Exchanges typically send a confirmation email to a user who makes a digital transaction. In the upcoming Super Bowl commercial, Barnes gives a Bitbuy user a confirmation hug. 

Koshy declined to comment on how much Bitbuy spent on the commercial. The executive previously told Blockworks that roughly 25% of the company’s 2022 marketing budget went to signing Lowry, as well as producing and buying last year’s Super Bowl ad.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates (2).png

Research

We’re bullish on the PUMP token. We believe Pump.fun's brand strength, existing integrations, product roadmap, and strategic levers justify PUMP's TGE valuation, and expect the token to re-rate meaningfully higher in the months ahead.

article-image

Crypto’s highest purpose might be to make markets better by making them bigger

article-image

The non-profit’s “Project Open” seeks to let stocks trade directly on Solana

article-image

The acquisition is Pump.fun’s first, and comes just days before its planned ICO

article-image

As Trump’s tariff war reignites, everyone is assuming the dollar will continue its path lower. But the journey might be bumpy

article-image

A valuation model for “blockchain GDP”

article-image

The mini app combines vibe-coding with a hypercasual game feed and is coming to the new Coinbase Wallet