QR Code Super Bowl Ad For Coinbase Was Kind Of Brilliant | Mashable

The Mashable 101 Creator Hub Tech Science Life Social Good Entertainment Deals Shopping Games Search Cancel

• Search Result

The Mashable 101 Creator Hub Tech Apps & Software Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity Cryptocurrency Mobile Smart Home Social Media Tech Industry Transportation All Tech Science Space Climate Change Environment All Science Life Family & Parenting Health & Wellness Sex, Dating & Relationships Sleep Careers Mental Health All Life Social Good Activism Gender LGBTQ Racial Justice Sustainability Politics All Social Good Entertainment Games Movies Podcasts TV Shows Watch Guides All Entertainment SHOP THE BEST Laptops Budget Laptops Dating Apps Sexting Apps Hookup Apps VPNs Robot Vaccuums Robot Vaccum & Mop Headphones Speakers Kindles Gift Guides Mashable Choice Mashable Selects All Sex, Dating & Relationships All Laptops All Headphones All Robot Vacuums All VPN All Shopping Games Product Reviews Adult Friend Finder Bumble Premium Tinder Platinum Kindle Paperwhite PS5 vs PS5 Slim All Reviews All Shopping Deals Newsletters Series Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Readers' Choice Safety Net Say More Furtastic Trending Now Versus Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Mashable Selects In Color Love App-tually All Series VIDEOS Mashable Shows All Videos Simple. Kind of brilliant. Credit: Screenshot: Twitter / @therecount / Coinbase

The early winner for the most effective ad during this year's Super Bowl might just go to Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange platform. The company ran a remarkably simple ad: It was just a bouncing QR code, just like the classic DVD logo scene from The Office.

The ad practically begged you to scan the QR code on your TV and see where it led. It was so basic, a little thing bouncing around, changing colors. The 60-second spot was just long enough for people at home to think something was broken.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

If you did scan the code, it took you to Coinbase's site, which was promoting a $15 Bitcoin giveaway for joining the cryptocurrency marketplace. Just The Office scene with the DVD menu, but it only hit the corner of the screen perfectly right at the end.Brilliant.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. Loading... Sign Me Up Use this instead By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

There's hardly anything as, let's say...divisive...online as crypto. But even those skeptical of crypto seemed to admit the commercial was clever. Even if you hated it, the ad did its job. It 100 percent got folks' attention.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The ad from Coinbase actually might've been too effective. The Coinbase app crashed soon after the company's spot aired during the big game.

And just a quick public service announcement. In general, please don't scan random QR codes if they weren't approved for broadcast during the biggest television event of the year. Getting you to scan a random QR code is actually a pretty common scam.

Featured Video For You How sports broadcasting's worst idea led to its best

Topics Super Bowl

Tim Marcin Associate Editor, Culture

Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).

Recommended For You An arrest has been made in the Coinbase ransomware breach The Coinbase breach affected nearly 70,000 users of the cryptocurrency exchange. 12/30/2025 By Christianna Silva 11 Super Bowl ads from the past that were actually funny For Super Bowl LX, it was all about gambling, crypto, AI, and more AI. 02/09/2026 By Timothy Beck Werth Super Bowl 2026 cheat sheet: Players, performers, storylines to watch From Bad Bunny to Drake Maye, all the info you need for Super Bowl LX. 02/04/2026 By Tim Marcin Super Bowl LX performers: Who is singing the anthems Bad Bunny and Green Day aren't the only performers at this year's Super Bowl. 02/08/2026 By Matt Binder Best Super Bowl commercials in 2026: See the ads now The best ads from Super Bowl LX got weird and liked it. 02/09/2026 By Tim Marcin , Alex Perry , and Chance Townsend More in Life Doomsday Clock now closest to midnight ever Scientists say we're closer to a human-made global apocalypse than ever, and AI is a significant cause. 01/28/2026 By Amanda Yeo Hurricane Erin: See spaghetti models and track the storm’s path online Hurricane Erin is the first hurricane of the 2025 season 08/15/2025 By Mashable Team Tropical Storm Erin: Spaghetti models track the storm’s path Tropical Storm Erin is predicted to become a hurricane within days. 08/13/2025 By Mashable Team NASA to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, report states Nuclear energy could power future lunar bases and crewed missions. 08/05/2025 By Neal Broverman Perseids meteor shower in July: Viewing tips, when it will peak It's one of the best meteor displays. 07/22/2025 By Lois Mackenzie Trending on Mashable NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 28, 2026 Everything you need to solve 'Connections' #993. 02/28/2026 By Mashable Team Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 28, 2026 Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to "Wordle" #1715. 02/28/2026 By Mashable Team Beginners can capture 360° video footage in 4K with this DJI Mini 5 Pro — and it’s on sale right now Get up to some serious shenanigans with nighttime obstacle sensing, night RTH, and 225° gimbal rotation. 11 hours ago By Han Schneider Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 1, 2026 Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to "Wordle" #1716. 2 hours ago By Mashable Team We all love viral videos of Punch the monkey. A lot of them are AI. Calling all Punch lovers: It's time to practice your AI detective skills. 19 hours ago By Timothy Beck Werth The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox. Loading... Sign Me Up Use this instead These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!