After surprising the industry with a simple QR code during the 2022 Super Bowl or freeing an NPC from the traditional financial system in the broadcast of the last edition of the Oscars, Coinbase continues to find ingenious and intelligent ways to communicate its proposal. With “Hidden in Plain Sight” he once again presents himself as an alternative to a model that he considers obsolete.

The new advertisement from the cryptocurrency platform delves into a discourse that conveys the idea that the user is trapped in a system that does not favor them and from which they can find a way out in Coinbase. On this occasion, the idea materializes in a sequence shot that shows a square in which people and actions follow one another through repetitive patterns.

The piece requires several viewings to understand everything that is happening, which emphasizes the message that Coinbase also conveys in the voiceover: that the system is so entrenched that people barely realize what is really happening.
The spot has been created internally by Coinbase Creative Studio and is part of the “Your Way Out” brand platform.

“They’ve been repeating it for so long that it started to seem normal. Play your game. On their schedules. Using your own money. Most people never question it. It’s just the way things work. Until you realize it was never meant for you“, explains the brand through LinkedIn. “The financial system was built for someone. Simply not for those who use it every day. Once you see the pattern, you can break it”.

The main advertisement of the campaign is accompanied by other shorter pieces focused on specific products and functionalities of the platform, such as extended hours for buying and selling shares, the future incorporation of an artificial intelligence advisor; or predictive markets.

“We wanted to build a bridge between the philosophy of our brand and its usefulness in the real world”; commented Joe Staples, Creative Vice President of Coinbase, according to AdAge. “The fact that we literally overlook the shortcomings of the old financial system on a daily basis without realizing it is just the beginning. Once people recognize it, they will need an alternative, they will need another way of operating”.