Stephanie Douse 
Advertising space for the Super Bowl in 2022 has already sold out, with NBC offering a $6 million price tag for a 30-second spot during the game.
With over 117 million Americans expected to watch the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI this Sunday, there’s a third player who could arguably dominate the entire weekend.
Currently, tech companies and crypto enthusiasts from all over the world are waiting for the onslaught of cryptocurrency advertisements that have been teased for the past few weeks leading up to the NFL championship game.
This year’s game will be a watershed moment for both the NFL and traditional advertising. This weekend’s event, dubbed “The Crypto Bowl,” will demonstrate how effective mainstream marketing of bitcoin and cryptocurrency is, with crypto exchanges competing for ad space.
With 16% of Americans already invested in, trading, or using cryptocurrency, this year’s Crypto Bowl raises the chances of that number skyrocketing after the weekend.
Cryptocurrency exchanges vying for airtime
If you haven’t already noticed, crypto firms like Coinbase, eToro, FTX, and Crypto.com have been actively fighting for ad space ahead of Sunday’s match, with CEOs revealing very little information about the details of each advertisement.
After investing $700 million to acquire the naming rights to what was once known as the Staples Center in Los Angeles, renamed to Crypto.com arena, and its upcoming television ad featuring Matt Damon, Crypto.com launched a strong marketing campaign earlier this year.
“There is no other event in the United States where people actively look forward to being promoted to,” said Nathaniel Whittemore, FTX marketing executive. FTX also announced that it will be giving away bitcoin as part of a campaign that would run in conjunction with its Super Bowl weekend advertising, which also happen to star Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, and his wife Gisele Bundchen.
The Miami Heat also christened their home arena after FTX in March, in a deal worth over $135 million and expected to continue for 19 years.
Bitbuy, located in Toronto, bought an ad for its Canadian broadcast that featured Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry, who spent nine years with the Toronto Raptors and won an NBA championship with them in 2019, is the latest professional athlete to join the increasing roster of crypto ambassadors.
They’re all gone at $6 million for 30-second spots
According to NBC, commercials for this year’s Super Bowl are sold out as of Saturday. The game will be shown alongside the Winter Olympics, which is no simple undertaking when presenting two major events on the same network.
Of course, because the Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events of the year, advertising during it is prohibitively costly. However, numerous internet companies and organizations have set new records this year, with NBC earning $6 million for each 30-second slot.
However, as Bitcoin approaches $50,000, the enthusiasm around this year’s ad appears to be focused more on crypto than comedy and humor.
Drake’s $1.26 million bitcoin wager
Drake, a Canadian artist, revealed earlier this week that he had put about $1.26 million worth of BTC into the game, including $470,000 on the Rams winning the Super Bowl and $790,000 on wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. scoring a score and/or getting 62.5 yards. Drake stands to win a whopping $2,886,000 Canadian dollars if the game goes his way.
Tom Brady, on the other hand, has jumped into bed with FTX, hoping to get a good return on his investment in FTX’s weekend marketing campaign.
Other celebs, like Neil Patrick Harris from How I Met Your Mother, Spike Lee, and Matt Damon, have also participated in Bitcoin advertising, which we may expect to see this weekend.
This weekend will be thrilling for practically every customer, whether you are a football lover or not. Are you all set?