Not long ago, Live Bitcoin News issued an article discussing a Super Bowl commercial that was made about crypto trading and FTX, a new but increasingly popular digital currency exchange. The commercial rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, and now its director – Jeff Schaffer – is claiming that he took the job without having the slightest idea of how crypto works or what it is.
Jeff Schaffer Is Clueless When It Comes to Crypto
In a recent interview, Schaffer claims to have had no knowledge of the space. He was simply out to “make a funny commercial.” While humor may indeed be up to the moods and ideals of those who view it, the commercial seemed to have made a lot of people annoyed – several of whom claim that celebrities and crypto don’t mix.
The advertisement featured Larry David of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fame. David took viewers on a tour of revolutionary technology – such as the wheel and the lightbulb – that has emerged throughout history. The idea behind the commercial was that blockchain was up there with the greatest technological inventions of all time, and that all who didn’t view it as such or invest in crypto was being a schmuck… At least that’s how a lot of viewers took it.
The commercial followed a string of ads run by Crypto.com. These featured the presence of Oscar-winner Matt Damon, known for roles in “Good Will Hunting” and “The Martian.” Damon’s commercials took on a similar theme in which the actor rolled through historical events and situations – like the moon landing – that featured men and women behaving in a brave manner.
The commercial then ended with Damon saying, “Fortune favors the bold.” The Crypto.com logo then appeared prominently on the screen. Many viewers had serious problems with this ad and the ones that followed, claiming that crypto was still too speculative and volatile and thus they shouldn’t be expected to just plunk their life savings into something because Damon told them to. While the commercials may not have been made with such a message in mind, reception was mostly negative.
Regarding his position as director of the commercial, Schaffer explained:
Unfortunately, I don’t think we’d have anything to add as we have no idea how cryptocurrency works (even after having it explained to us repeatedly), don’t own it, and don’t follow its market. We just set out to make a funny commercial.
Not long ago, Sam Bankman-Fried – the head executive of FTX – landed in hot water after he said he didn’t feel bitcoin could serve as a payment tool in the future. He stated:
The bitcoin network is not a payments network, and it is not a scaling network. Things that you’re doing millions of transactions a second with have to be extremely efficient and lightweight, and lower energy cost.