Ben Strack

The anonymity of crypto wallets has historically left Web3-focused marketing executives in the dark about their audience’s age, country or purchasing history, stifling efforts to reactivate existing users and acquire new ones.



A new tool seeks to change that.



Addressable, founded last June, scans various wallet data points, such as tokens purchased, balance, and overall transaction activity levels.&nbsp;



“Generally what we’re trying to understand is what is the wallet owner interested in and what are they doing on the blockchain,” Addressable co-founder Asaf Nadler said. “And on social media, we’re trying to understand the same thing.”&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-46854" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg?w=300 300w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg?w=768 768w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg?w=386 386w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg?w=392 392w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg?w=329 329w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/addressable-photo-3-1024x683.jpg?w=80 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">CTO Tomer Shlomo, CEO Tomer Sharoni, and Chief Scientist Dr. Asaf Nadler | Source: Addressable</figcaption></figure>



Addressable’s app parses through data from roughly 500 million crypto wallets, the company said, which is stored in one of its databases. Its matching algorithms seek to link those to a separate grouping of more than 100 million social media profiles. 



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/what-is-a-crypto-wallet">The Definitive Guide on Crypto Wallets</a>



The app is currently matching 17 million crypto wallet holders to Twitter accounts — via analyzing various social media engagements — to help marketing pros in the crypto segment better understand, and reach, specific audiences.&nbsp;



“A marketer can say I want to target whoever bought tokens from me, or bought tokens from my competitors, or is playing blockchain games in the bear market,” Nadler added.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="588" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3064-1024x588.png" alt="" class="wp-image-46851" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3064-1024x588.png?w=1024 1024w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3064-1024x588.png?w=300 300w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3064-1024x588.png?w=768 768w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3064-1024x588.png?w=428 428w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3064-1024x588.png?w=455 455w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3064-1024x588.png?w=381 381w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3064-1024x588.png?w=80 80w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3064-1024x588.png?w=1080 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Addressable app in action | Source: Addressable</figcaption></figure></div>


But the marketer will not see sensitive data, Nadler said, as the app maintains the privacy of crypto wallet holders and Twitter accounts by aggregating the data when it leaves its database.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Addressable is looking to match wallets to social media accounts on Instagram and TikTok in the future.&nbsp;



<h2>Targeting an audience</h2>



In a demo with Blockworks, Nadler showed what a marketer would do to target those holding a Bored Ape NFT, for example, in their crypto wallet. Such holders make up a community some view as especially valuable to reach when launching a new NFT collection, he said.&nbsp;



“They will not respond to any [direct message] you make to them directly; they get lots of DMs,” he said of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT holders. “But if you get on their radar and they become followers of you, you have a better chance.”



While the BAYC collection, released in 2021, totals 10,000 NFTs, the Bored Ape Yacht Club’s Twitter page has about a million followers.&nbsp;



As Nadler navigated the app, 5,900 such wallets came up in Addressable’s database as holding a Bored Ape NFT. Those were matched to 5,100 Twitter accounts — to which a marketer could send out a promoted tweet.



By whittling down the massive follower base of the Bored Ape Yacht Club to a contingent representing less than 1% of that, Web3 marketers can avoid “shouting to the void,” Nadler said.



“How do you avoid spending the huge amount of money…and get directly to these people?” he explained. “You need the blockchain information to do that.”



Marketers also get a full view of the conversion rate from both social media and the blockchain, Addressable executives said. In addition to seeing the number of social media engagements, the app helps marketers see how many people bought its token, for example.&nbsp;



<h2>Users weigh in on the tool</h2>



Addressable users include DeFi protocol <a href="https://home.bancor.network/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bancor</a> and Web3 games developer platform <a href="https://www.immutable.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Immutable</a>.&nbsp;



Nate Hindman, Bancor’s head of growth, said the company is getting set to launch an automated trading protocol built for custom on-chain limit orders.&nbsp;



“There is currently no way to perform oracle-free limit orders on decentralized exchanges…so we are specifically looking to attract DeFi users who might be interested in setting automated entry/exit strategies in their positions and performing automated buy low, sell high strategies on-chain,” he said.&nbsp;



Addressable has allowed Bancor to promote educational initiatives on the protocol to specific entities based on their level of on-chain trading and usage.&nbsp;



“We are able to see the users that come from Addressable-sourced audiences, and they are particularly well aligned with our target audiences,” Hindman added.&nbsp;



Russell Tan, marketing lead for <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/gods-unchained-developer-slashes-staff-despite-hiring-spree-hype">Gods Unchained</a>, a digital trading card game developed by Immutable, said he has used Addressable to target holders of other Web3 trading card games, which he called “a niche space.”



The executive added the results were “impressive” when compared to Immutable’s existing database, as the company saw a lower cost per click across the different segments it tested.&nbsp;



“Understanding the nature of on-chain activity, I believe they are able to accurately provide the right audiences, and have been able to build out specific audiences based on our requirements,” Tan said.



<hr class="wp-block-separator">
Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your email every evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter</a>&nbsp;now.
 
Want alpha sent directly to your inbox? Get degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance, can’t-miss tweets and more from&nbsp;<a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter/research" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blockworks Research&#8217;s Daily Debrief</a>.
 
Can&#8217;t wait? Get our news the fastest way possible.&nbsp;<a href="https://t.me/blockworks_news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Join us on Telegram</a> and follow us on <a href="https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMPyTxgswn6_dAw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google News</a>.
<hr class="wp-block-separator">

Matching Crypto Wallets to Twitter Accounts: Web3 Marketing Takes Off

Shalini Nagarajan

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase isn’t shying away from advertising despite cutting costs in other areas.&nbsp;



The exchange is strengthening ties with German soccer club Borussia Dortmund (BVB), local outlet Handelsblatt <a href="https://www.handelsblatt.com/finanzen/banken-versicherungen/banken/fussball-bundesligist-coinbase-macht-partnerschaft-mit-borussia-dortmund-oeffentlich/28932058.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. 



After establishing a partnership in July 2021, the club displayed ads for Coinbase on screens in its stadium and held crypto-related educational workshops for its employees.



That partnership is now leveling up as advertising will expand across marketing channels, including ads on the club’s stadium perimeter board, which will enhance virtual exposure for Coinbase at local events.



A Coinbase spokesperson previously told Blockworks the exchange intends to keep all its <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/crypto-sports-deals-slow">current sports sponsorship commitments</a>.



For now, the partnership has a time period and will reportedly last until June. The club’s managing director Carsten Cramer indicated that prudence is due to the crypto industry still being relatively new. “That&#8217;s why we want to keep our flexibility open,” he told Handelsblatt.



Borussia is the name of a local Dortmund brewery. The football club which dates back to 1909 is  <a href="https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de/equity/borussia-dortmund-gmbh-co-kgaa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">listed</a> on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, so it has a responsibility to shareholders to be cautious about its partnerships.



Coinbase was the <a href="https://www.coinbase.com/blog/coinbase-secures-first-crypto-licence-in-germany" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first</a> company to gain a license for crypto custody from the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in June 2021, which was a significant reason for the club’s decision to partner with the company.



Now, some five companies hold the same permit.



Neither Coinbase nor BVB have mentioned how much BVB is getting for the sponsorship,&nbsp; though Cramer said they “didn’t receive the most tempting offer.”



The soccer world has become an attractive sector for crypto partnerships. Crypto[dot]com was a prominent brand in last year’s FIFA World Cup held in Qatar. And Coinbase already inked <a href="https://pr.nba.com/coinbase-nba-partnership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sports partnerships</a> with the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association and other affiliates in 2021.



Still, the exchange was impacted by the crypto winter and cut more than 2,000 jobs in the last year. It also recently decided to pull out of a major crypto market, saying it would shut down <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/coinbase-follows-kraken-to-japan-exit">operations</a> in Japan.&nbsp;



Coinbase and BVB expect to decide whether to extend their partnership by April or May.



<hr class="wp-block-separator">
Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your email every evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter</a>&nbsp;now.
 
Want alpha sent directly to your inbox? Get degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance, can’t-miss tweets and more from&nbsp;<a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter/research" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blockworks Research&#8217;s Daily Debrief</a>.
 
Can&#8217;t wait? Get our news the fastest way possible.&nbsp;<a href="https://t.me/blockworks_news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Join us on Telegram</a> and follow us on <a href="https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMPyTxgswn6_dAw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google News</a>.
<hr class="wp-block-separator">

Coinbase Seeks Brand Exposure with Germany’s Second-largest Soccer Club

<div id="highlights-block_6218d039e0ed6" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Chief compliance officer moves from Binance.US to Coinme</li>
 <li>Circle taps former leader at Meta and Google as its chief product officer</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



FTX has hired Lauren Remington Platt as its head of global luxury partnerships as the company looks toward marketing efforts <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-to-give-away-bitcoin-as-part-of-super-bowl-ad-campaign/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">beyond the sport realm</a>.



The new executive founded beauty service Vensette, for which she launched partnerships with Saks Fifth Avenue, Vogue, Michael Kors and Chopard to bring hair and makeup experiences to professionals.



In her new role, Platt will target major luxury brands that have yet to integrate with cryptocurrency as a way to focus more on marketing to other consumer segments, such as women. She will be working closely with fashion model Gisele Bündchen, who leads FTX’s environmental and social Initiatives.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="985" height="500" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-25-Lauren-Remington-Platt-FTX.jpg" alt="Lauren Remington Platt" class="wp-image-17944" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-25-Lauren-Remington-Platt-FTX.jpg?w=985 985w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-25-Lauren-Remington-Platt-FTX.jpg?w=300 300w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-25-Lauren-Remington-Platt-FTX.jpg?w=768 768w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-25-Lauren-Remington-Platt-FTX.jpg?w=428 428w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-25-Lauren-Remington-Platt-FTX.jpg?w=470 470w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-25-Lauren-Remington-Platt-FTX.jpg?w=389 389w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-25-Lauren-Remington-Platt-FTX.jpg?w=80 80w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-25-Lauren-Remington-Platt-FTX.jpg?w=50 50w" sizes="(max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px" /><figcaption>Lauren Remington Platt; Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/laurenremington" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">twitter.com/laurenremington</a></figcaption></figure>



Brian Reisbeck, former chief compliance officer at Binance.US, is set to serve in the same role for crypto cash exchange Coinme. He will focus on maintaining regulatory compliance standards during the next stage of the firm’s international expansion.



Before Binance.US, Reisbeck was the anti-money laundering compliance officer for Robinhood, helping to launch the company’s crypto trading platform.



Circle has named Nikhil Chandhok as its new chief product officer. He will focus on bringing digital currencies, such as USD Coin (USDC), to the mainstream and making it accessible to businesses globally.



Chandhok comes from Meta (formerly Facebook), where he led product development for augmented reality (AR) glasses. Before Meta, he worked at Google as its AR platform lead.



Craig Palmer is now the CEO of non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace MakersPlace. The company’s former CEO and co-founder, Dannie Chu, shifted to be executive chairman on MakersPlace’s board.



Palmer spent eight years as the CEO of fan platform Fandom and prior to that was the president and CEO of entertainment data and technology company Gracenote.



Permission.io expanded its advisory board by adding Jason Young, Kyung Kim, Sean Holzman and Son Nguyen.



Young is the president of digital marketing platform Chicory, where he advises on company growth and expansion. Kim is the senior vice president of digital activation for Horizon Media.



Holzman is head of ad platforms for video intelligence platform IRIS.TV. He previously worked as chief brand development officer and then chief digital revenue officer at Bonnier Corporation.



Nguyen brings experience of scaling startups. In 2019, he became chief technology officer of Ando, a fintech company that offers mobile banking services.



Sung Choi, a former senior quant equity researcher and portfolio manager at Mellon Investments, is now the head of investment at Gluwa. The financial platform uses blockchain technology and is focused on financial inclusion.



<hr class="wp-block-separator">
Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your email every evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter</a>&nbsp;now.
 
Want alpha sent directly to your inbox? Get degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance, can’t-miss tweets and more from&nbsp;<a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter/research" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blockworks Research&#8217;s Daily Debrief</a>.
 
Can&#8217;t wait? Get our news the fastest way possible.&nbsp;<a href="https://t.me/blockworks_news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Join us on Telegram</a> and follow us on <a href="https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMPyTxgswn6_dAw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google News</a>.
<hr class="wp-block-separator">

Latest in Crypto Hiring: FTX To Move Beyond Sports Marketing

<div id="highlights-block_620683f5adedf" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Bitbuy spent roughly a quarter of its 2022 marketing budget on its Super Bowl ad starring Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry</li>
 <li>FTX will give away bitcoin as part of its ad campaign</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Crypto companies FTX, Bitbuy, Coinbase and Crypto.com are set to run Super Bowl ads on Sunday, marking the first time that companies in the industry will advertise during the game.



Though some advertisers paid as much as $7 million for a 30-second spot, NBC revealed last week, executives at FTX and Bitbuy said the cost is worth it for their companies.&nbsp;



“In the US, there is no other event each year where consumers actively look forward to being advertised to,” FTX marketing executive Nathaniel Whittemore told Blockworks.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">“Watching and picking out your favorite Super Bowl ads is a part of the tradition of the big game, and that&#8217;s a pretty unique opportunity to be a part of.”</blockquote>



More than 30 advertisers in this year’s Super Bowl — about 40% of the total group — didn’t run an ad last year, according to NBC. Most of the new advertisers fall into the automotive, technology and travel categories.



FTX <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-to-give-away-bitcoin-as-part-of-super-bowl-ad-campaign/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">revealed on Monday</a> that it would be giving away bitcoin as part of a contest running in conjunction with the ad. Though an FTX spokesperson declined to share details about the commercial, star power can be expected.



The crypto exchange <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uymLJoKFlW8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">has run ads</a> featuring seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bündchen.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="FTX Crypto: Tom Brady is In. Are you?" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uymLJoKFlW8?start=1&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



The company also tapped other star athletes last year, such as <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-names-stephen-curry-a-global-ambassador/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stephen Curry</a> and <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-inks-deal-with-mlb-star-shohei-ohtani/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shohei Ohtani</a>, to be brand ambassadors.



“This game comes as something of a capstone on a year during which there has been a massive increase in consumer awareness of the crypto industry,” Whittemore explained. “Between people investing in their first cryptos or exploring NFTs, more Americans than ever are part of the digital asset ecosystem, so we thought it was a great time to bring crypto to the big game.”



The expensive Super Bowl ad buy will not prevent FTX from doing more marketing campaigns in 2022, Whittemore added.



Eric Chen, CEO and co-founder of Injective Labs, argued that the Super Bowl will be the first time that the entire crypto industry is under a major spotlight.



“While the broad crypto market is calming down after major movements in 2021, FTX is trying to increase the platform adoption through advertising,” Chen said. “We can’t predict the exact tradeoff of this investment, but we certainly know that this is very helpful for their PR coverage and global brand awareness.”



<h3>Canadian crypto exchange looks to reach new audience</h3>



Canada-based crypto platform Bitbuy has recently changed its marketing strategy to target more members of Gen X and baby boomers, according to Binu Koshy, Bitbuy’s marketing and communications director.



Its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI3LNq_lres" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Super Bowl ad</a>, which features Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry, will air in Canada. Lowry is well known in the country for playing nine years with the Toronto Raptors and winning an NBA title with the team in 2019.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17287" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=300 300w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=768 768w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=428 428w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=464 464w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=389 389w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=80 80w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=50 50w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-project-4-1024x576.jpg?w=1600 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Kyle Lowry on the set of Bitbuy&#8217;s Super Bowl commercial | Source: Bitbuy</figcaption></figure></div>



Until about six months ago, Bitbuy primarily advertised through digital channels, where the majority of its users consume media.&nbsp;



“We reached the point where growing our customer base means attracting new consumer segments,” Koshy said. “It’s not sustainable to keep speaking to the same early adopters over and over again who have already jumped into crypto.”&nbsp;



Bitbuy applied to become a registered crypto exchange, a prerequisite to be able to run the Super Bowl commercial. It gained the distinction on Nov. 30 and signed Lowry two days later.&nbsp;



Though the ad was less expensive than the $7 million price tag in the US, Koshy said, roughly 25% of the company’s marketing budget for 2022 went to signing Lowry, as well as producing and buying the ad.



“That is a big percentage, but we feel there is no other media event in the calendar when you can reach so many people at one time,” Koshy explained.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">“Studies show there is a direct correlation between sports enthusiasts and crypto investors, and we are using the Super Bowl as a launching pad for our Kyle Lowry commercial to reach sports fans of all the major sports leagues.”</blockquote>



Between 60% to 70% of Bitbuy’s marketing spend this year will be on ads during live sports, he added.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Kyle Lowry “Again and Again”| Bitbuy 2022 Super Bowl Commercial" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aI3LNq_lres?start=1&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



Crypto.com and Coinbase are also reportedly set to run ads during the NFL championship game. Spokespeople for both companies declined to share specifics about the commercials.



The upcoming Super Bowl ad for Crypto.com comes after a year of <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/crypto-com-cmo-on-how-company-went-from-app-to-global-brand/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heavy marketing efforts</a> that included buying the naming rights to what was formerly the Staples Center in Los Angeles and creating a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hBC5TVdYT8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">television spot</a> starring actor Matt Damon.



The company also <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/lebron-james-partners-with-crypto-com-to-help-kids-learn-about-digital-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">partnered with LeBron James</a> last month, and <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1492547824289935361" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a video posted on Twitter Saturday</a> seems to indicate the four-time NBA champion will appear in the company&#8217;s Super Bowl ad.



Crypto exchange Coinbase went public last year and touts more than 70 million users.



<h3>Alternative campaigns</h3>



Binance is countering the ads running during the Super Bowl with a marketing campaign urging people to “learn crypto and trust yourself.”



The crypto exchange’s campaign, which will not include an ad during the game, features singer J Balvin, <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/binance-hires-nba-star-to-warn-against-celebrity-ads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler</a> and mixed martial arts fighter Valentina Shevchenko.



During the Super Bowl, Binance is encouraging viewers to visit CryptoCelebAlert.com when crypto commercials with celebrities air to claim one of 2,222 NFTs (non-fungible tokens) featuring Butler. The site will also include a crypto primer to understand basics about the technology.



“Our focus is on being user-first and empowering through education,” a Binance spokesperson told Blockworks. “We appreciate that our competitors are spending to show up in primetime and drive crypto awareness, however our counter-programming approach was developed to draw attention to the gap between awareness and adoption.”



Vancouver-based Dapper Labs also launched NFTs featuring visuals of the conference championship trophies won by the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams.&nbsp;



Additional NFTs with the Super Bowl and winning team logos, as well as the date and score of the game, will become available next week.



“I hope that with this newfound attention, crypto brands think deeply about how they can best educate the public about why this technology matters and how it can positively influence people&#8217;s lives,” said Keli Callaghan, Algorand’s head of marketing.



This story was edited on Feb. 13, at 10 a.m. ET. 



<hr class="wp-block-separator">
Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your email every evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter</a>&nbsp;now.
 
Want alpha sent directly to your inbox? Get degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance, can’t-miss tweets and more from&nbsp;<a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter/research" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blockworks Research&#8217;s Daily Debrief</a>.
 
Can&#8217;t wait? Get our news the fastest way possible.&nbsp;<a href="https://t.me/blockworks_news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Join us on Telegram</a> and follow us on <a href="https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMPyTxgswn6_dAw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google News</a>.
<hr class="wp-block-separator">

Crypto Exchanges Compete to Grab Super Bowl Spotlight

<div id="highlights-block_61d36436a979b" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Partnerships with influencers like Nascar driver Landon Cassill and NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski helped build Voyager brand awareness last year</li>
 <li>The firm is looking to move more into NFTs and other parts of the metaverse in 2022, according to Voyager CMO Pam Kramer</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



<a href="https://www.investvoyager.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Voyager Digital</a> is focused on continuing to build its brand in 2022 through more video-driven content that highlights consumer voices as well as partnerships that could move beyond the sports world.&nbsp;



Crypto marketing competition has heated up as companies in the space spent the last year looking to push their brands into the mainstream.&nbsp;



“Consumer financial services has long been an important advertiser and an important player in the media marketing landscape,” Voyager Chief Marketing Officer Pam Kramer told Blockworks in an interview. “The crypto category, now as it emerges, is no exception.”



Connecting with people and influencers who can talk about their experience with crypto is a key part of Voyager’s strategy, Kramer noted. The publicly traded company partnered with Nascar driver Landon Cassill in June, as well as NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski in September.&nbsp;



Such users of Voyager’s crypto platform can spread the firm’s message especially quickly through the internet, the executive explained, noting that the firm will look to further “elevate the voices” of its users going forward.&nbsp;



“It’s less about big media buys and more about tapping into the community,” Kramer said.



Crypto.com also <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/crypto-com-cmo-on-how-company-went-from-app-to-global-brand/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">had a busy year</a> of marketing, capped off by a 20-year, $700 million deal for the naming rights of what was formerly the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Crypto exchange FTX partnered with a handful of high-profile athletes throughout the year, including Tom Brady, <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-names-stephen-curry-a-global-ambassador/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Steph Curry</a> and <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-inks-deal-with-mlb-star-shohei-ohtani/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shohei Ohtani</a>.&nbsp;



Kramer said she expects crypto to grow from its current level of a few hundred million users to a billion users within the next four or so years. Those billion users will be using a variety of platforms, she said, noting that there is “plenty of room” for multiple players in the space.



“I think over the next 12 to 24 months, we’re going to see the brands start to differentiate and each one develop a personality and connect with different groups of consumers,” Kramer noted.&nbsp;



<h3>A busy year</h3>



Kramer, who knew Voyager CEO Steve Ehrlich from her time working at ETrade Financial from 1995 to 2004, joined Voyager as its chief marketing officer in March.



At ETrade, Kramer said she ran focus groups in 1995 with people who said they would be uncomfortable interacting with their money online. That changed quickly over the next decade, she noted, adding that the perceptions around crypto are also morphing.



“I realized very quickly that we were in the middle of a culture change and that crypto was going to fundamentally change the way we interact with money and the financial world,” Kramer said.&nbsp;



Focused on continuing Voyager’s growth when she entered the CMO role in 2021, Kramer noted that the firm’s funded accounts grew from 43,000 at the end of 2020 to more than 1 million a year later.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">“We’ve developed a mantra that is ‘crypto for all’ and developed a brand focus that is very much around humanity, around making crypto less cryptic and about making it accessible [so it] feels like they can participate in and earn the rewards of this new frontier,” Kramer said.</blockquote>



The firm <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/voyager-digital-extends-crypto-based-partnership-with-nascar-driver-landon-cassill-in-collaboration-with-kaulig-racing-301440789.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">extended its partnership with Cassill last month</a> for two more years. The racecar driver will be paid with a crypto portfolio that includes bitcoin (BTC), the voyager token (VGX), USD coin (USDC), stormX (STMX) and avalanche (AVAX).&nbsp;&nbsp;



“I am excited to not only have a shot at winning races, but to bring awareness to crypto and help educate people in a space that I&#8217;ve been personally invested in for a number of years,&#8221; Cassill said in a statement at the time of the extension.



Voyager also announced a <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/voyager-digital-partners-with-dallas-mavericks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">partnership with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks</a> in October to bolster brand awareness and drive cryptocurrency adoption through educational programs.



Most recently, Voyager announced a multi-year agreement with The National Women’s Soccer League. The firm will fund crypto accounts for each rostered player in the league and will provide them with financial education.



<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/curiosity/cnbc-invest-in-you-august-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A CNBC survey</a> published last summer found that men are more than twice as likely to invest in cryptocurrencies than women.&nbsp;



“This is one piece of helping to close that gender gap,” Kramer said of the partnership.



<h3>More on the horizon</h3>



One of the biggest challenges of marketing in the crypto space is helping a broad audience understand what can be a realm filled with memes, complicated lingo, and misconceptions, Kramer said.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">“It’s not just educating; It’s almost helping to say, ‘This thing you thought about [crypto],&nbsp; it’s not real so let’s help you not only learn about it but start new associations,’” she explained. “That’s where people like Gronk and Landon and others really help.”</blockquote>



Voyager has done a lot of focused digital media and paid social media, and will continue to do so. It will create more video-driven content across those channels, Kramer said.



Ren Besnard, vice president of marketing at Unstoppable Domains, previously told Blockworks that he predicts a crypto company will have the best advertisement during Super Bowl LVI in February. 



When asked whether the firm was planning any marketing efforts around the game, slated for Feb. 13, Kramer said the firm is looking to potentially advertise around spring sports in March.



While much of big crypto marketing efforts to date have happened <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/crypto-companies-dive-further-into-sports-sphere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">within the sports world</a>, Voyager is looking at partnerships in other industries as well, Kramer said.&nbsp;



“Just like I look at the profiles of our customers, we look at what else they’re interested in — what kinds of music, what kinds of entertainment and how people spend their time,” Kramer said.



Today, Voyager is a platform where users can buy and sell roughly 70 cryptocurrencies, but it&#8217;s looking to move more into NFTs and other parts of the metaverse, Kramer added.



Ehrlich said <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/voyager-looking-to-enter-nft-space-in-2022-ceo-says/">during an October earnings call</a> that crypto market maker Alameda Research, which <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/a16z-invests-250m-in-alchemy-alameda-backs-voyager-with-75m/">invested $75 million in Voyager</a> that month, would help it get more involved in the NFT space. He noted at the time that Voyager intends to make NFTs on multiple platforms accessible to its two million or so users and could look to build its own NFTs through its relationships with Cassill and Gronkowski.



“We want to be able to offer access to NFTs in the same way we offer access to the crypto assets today,” Kramer said, “so really making it simple and broad.”



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your inbox every evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter</a>&nbsp;now. 



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>

Voyager CMO: Crypto is ‘Changing the Way We Interact with Money’

<div id="highlights-block_61ba2c37d2d1f" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Crypto.com looks to continue marketing push after buying naming rights to the Staples Center in Los Angeles and partnering with Formula 1, UFC and Matt Damon </li>
 <li>Partnerships that bring brand to mainstream audience show “there’s an industry leader in Crypto.com who’s taking [the space] forward,” CMO Steven Kalifowitz said</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Anyone who types in Crypto.com on their search bar will see Matt Damon’s face appear as the webpage loads.



“Fortune Favours the Brave,” the site displays in bold font.



Steven Kalifowitz, the chief marketing officer of Crypto.com, told Blockworks in an interview that the tagline captures the mentality of the company and the industry more broadly.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The company’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hBC5TVdYT8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one-minute television spot</a> starring Damon, which began airing in October, aimed to recognize the people who have worked in the industry for years and invite others not yet involved in crypto to enter the space, he added.



Founded in 2016, the Singapore-based company allows users to buy and sell more than 200 cryptocurrencies. It also offers users the ability to earn rewards by depositing crypto or using its Visa card.



In addition to the Damon commercial, which is set to run for a few more months, Crypto.com bought the naming rights to the Staples Center in Los Angeles last month as part of a 20-year, $700 million deal. The venue — the official home of the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers, the NHL’s Kings and the WNBA’s Sparks — will be known as Crypto.com Arena on Dec. 25.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“That’s probably the strongest statement that we’re not going anywhere and that we’re here to stay,” Kalifowitz said.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VH26tSmOtLbm0FFEotmvhtJOtE4fekv4wbKfs94WWEma1f9Qk24aIX7LFhitBpQXSiz1FMmx2JSCMqHo7LFEaKLnKwHGTc9UG80u8uPCC_7h4i5eYOVQ6_UuCV48ijAgBZ2wdlBX" alt=""/></figure>



Ty Smith, founder and CEO of <a href="https://coinbound.io" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">crypto marketing agency</a> Coinbound, said that the deal to buy the naming rights to one of the country’s most iconic arenas will help support widespread adoption, noting that Crypto.com’s company name points directly to the industry.



“I think a ton of crypto brands as well as advertising entities have been on the fence with respect to how mainstream audiences will perceive crypto ads in the public light,” Smith said.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">“This move tells brands and advertisers that the game is on.”&nbsp;</blockquote>



Mindy Kaling, an actress, comedian and screenwriter, was talking about the Lakers <a href="https://www.nbc.com/access/video/mindy-kaling-took-her-dad-to-a-lakers-game-and-loved-it-its-intoxicating/999109690" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">during an interview with Access Hollywood</a> last month when the discussion shifted to the team’s upcoming arena name change.&nbsp;



“It does make me think that I need to understand crypto,” Kaling said during the interview. “&#8230;If this is going to be where the Lakers now live, I have to understand what crypto is.”



Though Kalifowitz said it’s hard to measure the exact impact of the company’s major marketing efforts, he noted it signals that Crypto.com is in the center of a discussion that has gone mainstream.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Did people go and download the app?” he said about the Access Hollywood interview. “Did people go and read more about it? Yeah, of course.”



<h3>Growing the crypto.com brand</h3>



The ad featuring Damon and the deal to rename the L.A. sports arena capped a year in which Crypto.com aimed to introduce the company to a global audience, Kalifowitz said.



Kalifowitz joined Crypto.com in August 2020, at which time the company had between 3 million and 5 million users, the CMO said. Crypto.com reported reaching 10 million users in February, noting at the time that it expects to reach 100 million users by 2023. A company spokesperson declined to comment on its current number of users.



The crypto industry’s number of users doubled from about 100 million to 200 million between January and June of 2021, the CMO added.



“That was a trend line that we saw coming in the middle of last year,” Kalifowitz told Blockworks. “We committed to the strategy of really getting ourselves out there, partnering with the best brands that we can and finding the best ways to not just introduce our brand to people but to raise awareness for crypto as something that’s not going away.”



Though certain prospective partners were hesitant to work with a crypto company at the beginning of the year, that changed once they learned Crypto.com was a serious company focused on regulatory compliance, Kalifowitz explained.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Crypto.com became the first cryptocurrency sponsor of Formula 1 in a reported $100 million deal, <a href="https://blog.crypto.com/formula-1-r-announce-crypto-com-as-global-partner-and-inaugural-partner-of-the-f1-sprint-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the company announced in June</a>. Mixed martial arts organization Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced <a href="https://blog.crypto.com/ufc-r-and-crypto-com-announce-historic-partnership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">its partnership with Crypto.com</a> a week later in a reported 10-year, $175 million partnership that put the firm’s branding on the athletes’ apparel and around the event venues.&nbsp;



Reaching what Kalifowitz called “Super Bowl-size” audiences through Formula 1 and UFC is even more important amid a fractured media landscape that has people watching content at different times.&nbsp;



“To be able to not just put our brand there, but put the word crypto there, gets everyone to talk about it,” he said. “Live sport is really the only thing that brings everyone together, and that water cooler effect is important.”



In addition to making deals with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team, the company <a href="https://blog.crypto.com/76ers-crypto-com-official-jersey-partner/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">partnered with the Philadelphia 76ers</a> in September to put a logo patch on the players’ jerseys and the Crypto.com branding on and around the team’s court. The 76ers launched its first NFT through Crypto.com as part of the deal.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">🔔 The 2021-22 <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sixers</a>! 🔔<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA75?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA75</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a>&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1444046965075951617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



Ren Besnard, vice president of marketing at Unstoppable Domains, said he loved to see Crypto.com’s major marketing initiatives in 2021, adding that education is a huge component for new consumer technologies.



“Crypto marketers are going to step their game up,” Besnard said. “Now that Crypto.com has led the way in showing that large traditional media buys with crypto companies can help them cross into the mainstream, I expect others to follow suit.”&nbsp;



Other crypto firms also spent much of the year boosting brand awareness through large partnerships, most notably <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/crypto-companies-dive-further-into-sports-sphere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in the sports world</a>.



Cryptocurrency exchange FTX <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-inks-135m-sponsorship-deal-for-miami-heat-arena/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">finalized a deal</a> earlier this year for the naming rights of the Miami Heat’s arena and became the official cryptocurrency exchange brand of Major League Baseball. The company has also signed on star athletes as brand ambassadors, including Tom Brady, <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-names-stephen-curry-a-global-ambassador/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stephen Curry</a> and <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-inks-deal-with-mlb-star-shohei-ohtani/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shohei Ohtani</a>.



FTX on Tuesday <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/ftx-us-partners-with-golden-state-warriors/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced a partnership</a> with the Golden State Warriors. Voyager Digital had revealed an agreement <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/voyager-digital-partners-with-dallas-mavericks/">with the Dallas M</a><a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/voyager-digital-partners-with-dallas-mavericks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a</a><a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/voyager-digital-partners-with-dallas-mavericks/">vericks</a> in October to make cryptocurrency more accessible through educational and community programs, as well as fan engagement promotions.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Kalifowitz said he doesn’t focus on what competitors are doing.&nbsp;



“We were the first to start these big sponsorships and partnerships in the industry, and we have the largest portfolio, but I love that others in the crypto space are also raising awareness of crypto,” he said. “I think all ships will rise, and we think crypto is for everybody.”



<h3>Looking ahead</h3>



Crypto.com has succeeded in sparking interest, Kalifowitz said, and its future marketing efforts will look to build on that.&nbsp;



“Now that you know what this logo is, and you know that this company exists…next year is more about layering it, more about who we are as a company, telling good stories and focusing more on that education,” he explained.



Besnard noted that crypto education will continue and strengthen, noting that marketing initiatives like those executed by Crypto.com and others in 2021 will accelerate.



“As crypto and NFTs increasingly make their way into the culture and top consumer brands rush to enter the metaverse, I anticipate a growing number of collaborations between brands, digital creative agencies and crypto firms,” he said. “I predict that during the next Super Bowl, the best advertisement will come from a crypto company.”&nbsp;



Smith said he expects crypto money to start flooding into advertising channels like sports arenas and other venues, as well as television commercials.



“We are already seeing major ad spend go towards more traditional, branding-focused initiatives as well,” the Coinbound CEO said. “For a long time, the crypto marketing industry has seen these platforms as off-limits. Not anymore.”



Though Kalifowitz declined to specify what types of marketing initiatives the company would embark on going forward, he pointed to the existing deals that have allowed Crypto.com to access massive fan bases.



“You can imagine a lot of what we’ll do will spring off of that,” he said.



<hr class="wp-block-separator">
Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your inbox every evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter</a>&nbsp;now.
<hr class="wp-block-separator">