Coinbase takes aim at US financial system in new campaign

Coinbase is back with a marketing campaign that pulls few punches against the American financial system. 

The 60-second ad begins with a befuddled narrator asking the question, "What is this archaic system?," before proceeding to lament every minor annoyance that American transactors deal with on a daily basis. From the arbitrary authority of a notary to excessive fees posed by banks and ATMs, the obstacles depicted in the commercial are meant to be triggering. The ad concludes with the narrator asking, "Don't we deserve better?"

The new campaign sees Coinbase shifting its marketing message from "How crypto?" to "Why crypto?," chief marketer Kate Rouch told Ad Age. And it comes amid a cooling in the crypto marketplace, which is part of the impetus for Coinbase wanting to address the basic questions of its existence in its marketing. 

Coinbase posted the spot on Twitter with the caption "two-thirds of America thinks the financial system is overdue for an overhaul," although no official data was cited. The ad is also currently airing on TV in the Washington, D.C. market—an attempt by the crypto exchange to speak directly to lawmakers shaping policy in the U.S.

Starting in April, the commercial will evolve into a wider-reaching campaign titled "It's time to update the system." The 60-second spot will begin airing nationally during the NBA playoffs and be accompanied by additional 30-second TV spots, as well as digital and social extensions.

Last year, when crypto companies were deploying massive spend to market to the mainstream, Coinbase focused on promoting its product and longevity in the space. A 30-second bouncing QR code during the Super Bowl encouraged viewers to create a Coinbase account. The exchange brashly took aim at crypto critics in a national TV ad that aired a few months later.

Now that mainstream crypto marketing has largely cooled, Coinbase wants to return to answering the basic questions of its existence. The main selling point for cryptocurrency is it is an alternative to the traditional financial system. Mass audiences are unlikely to support, or even understand, the technology if they don't first know the problems it is trying to solve, such as the over-centralization of banking power and arduous payment processing.

Coinbase is marketing in a much different climate than a year ago. The crypto space slipped into free fall after FTX collapsed in November, and the dominos are still tumbling. Silvergate, a crypto-friendly bank that served FTX, announced this week that it is shuttering its business after losing a billion dollars in one quarter. 

Meanwhile, Coinbase is fighting to preserve its staking service after the SEC forced fellow exchange Kraken to shut down its staking service, a move that comes as the government attempts to regulate the space. Staking is a way for crypto holders to earn interest on their coins by pledging them to a blockchain network. It is also a major source of business for exchanges.

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