The 5 Things I Learned from Coinbase about Marketing.

Yesterday during the Superbowl Commercials, one QR Code rocked the world...

Creative, innovative, powerful, curious, well placed...

Those are a few words that come to mind.

You know it's interesting, when this ad came on for Coinbase, there was little to no context of what it was. No front-end information, a simple QR code that danced across the screen. 60 seconds of silence, brilliance.

A simple QR code captured the attention of millions of viewers everywhere.

Let me share 5 things about this brilliant ad that I learned from Coinbase that might bring insights regarding the Power of Marketing for your business.

1- Understanding the Target Demographic

If I were to take a step back and reflect on my experience in Marketing over the last 15 years, I would make a couple of different assumptions that I believe would be pretty accurate regarding the Target Demographic that Coinbase was going after the brilliance of their ad. Coinbase - correct me if I'm wrong.

The first assumption - Coinbase is trying to get their information in front of those who are between 35-55 years of age, who enjoy sports, like technology, appreciate a childhood of video games, appreciate creativity, know a little about Crypto, but really do not know enough about Cryptocurrency and how it is impacting the world.

Why do I make those assumptions?

Let me share a few insights that came to my mind.

First - if you look at the type of ad, a black screen with a floating QR Code that changes colors reminds me of the early childhood days - early to mid-80s when the craze of the day was an Atari, where games like PacMan, Space Invaders, Breakout, Frogger where the most amazing games to each of us.

The dancing code subconsciously took those of us with experiences with these games back to a time when life was much more simple. The reflection of those memories was well replayed in each of our minds and it created a sense of trust and curiosity.

In addition to the games of old, the emotional attachment to games also brought an interesting element of innovation. As I watched the room I was sitting in, 15 seconds, 30 seconds of silence and finally, someone said, well I guess I'll pull out my phone and see what this ad is all about. Those individuals in their 40's and 50's are comfortable with innovation, but it also needs to be simple.

Lesson: Understanding your Target Demographic is Crucial in all types of Marketing.

2- Placement is Key

Black screen, no outside noise, placed in front of Millions of people - brilliant.

The best way to win in Marketing is to place the best ad in the perfect place.

Gary Vaynerchuk explains it best.

If this wasn't done to perfection in the Coinbase ad, I don't know how you could place it more effectively.

Lesson: Put your best story in front of the most people who are your target demographic.

3- Take Risks

In my experience of Marketing, the only way to tell if an ad is working effectively is to try it out. Once you have placed the ad, you then let the data prove or disprove your hypothesis of marketing. That's the beautiful thing about Digital Marketing. The numbers don't lie. Sure you can manipulate the numbers, but you can't manipulate the results.

Taking risks is extremely powerful in the game of Marketing. Understanding the foundational elements of marketing, and then being creative to keep the attention of customers. Some risks win, some lose. But trying is the key.

Lesson: If you don't take risks in Marketing, you will never know what will work and what won't work. Go for it!

4- Keep it Simple

If there is one thing I appreciated about the Coinbase Ad - Simplicity.

How often do we confuse our messaging simply because we want to tell the whole story at the beginning? I've always appreciated Donald Millers' approach to Building a Story in our Marketing Messaging. He states.

The more simple the message the more it will resonate with others.

Lesson: Share your marketing message with everyone you possibly can. If it is confusing, you will know quickly.

5- The Element of Curiosity

As I watched a room full of people look confused with a dancing QR Code, I wondered how long it was going to take for someone to finally pull out their phone and capture the QR. 40 seconds. That's how long it took before someone finally pulled our their phone.

You see, we all understand the QR code and the need for capturing it via a phone to open the doors behind the code. The time of the ad was exactly what was needed to really capture the attention of the users. Let's be honest, the longer the QR code danced on the screen, the more curious everyone became.

If the ad would have been 15 seconds long it would not have worked. 30 seconds, maybe. But 60 seconds was brilliant. With the final powerful punch at the end with the blue screen and name.

Lesson: Build an element of curiosity in each of your ads to open the door for people to learn more. Don't give them everything in the beginning.

Brilliance in marketing is one of my favorite things to evaluate. I believe that Coinbase nailed this ad. Well done...

Well done!