Super Bowl LVI was only a year ago, but when you look at some of the ads we saw then, it feels like a much different time: one where the future of the internet was all about cryptocurrency, NFTs, and the metaverse. Companies that hadn’t even existed 10 or even three years prior spent big money promoting themselves as major Web3 players, and older, established companies tried to stake their claim in the same world. That world wouldn’t last long.
In the past year, Web3 fumbled, Big Tech stocks turned over, and AI is currently charging down the field as the hottest thing in a Silicon Valley that otherwise doesn’t have much to cheer for. The big splashy Super Bowl ads of 2022 are almost laughable in retrospect. Unless you’re one of the celebrities now facing a lawsuit for promoting crypto exchanges. Or one of the millions of people who lost money on crypto investments, thanks at least in part to the large-scale fraud that permeated the industry. Or any of the thousands of tech workers who were laid off in the past few months.
There will be no crypto ads in this year’s broadcast. A Fox Sports executive vice president of ad sales told the Associated Press that four crypto companies had actually booked or were close to booking ads this year even amid crypto’s falling prices, but they all bowed out following FTX’s collapse.
That’s a complete reversal from what we saw during Super Bowl LVI. There were so many ads from so many crypto exchanges that some people called last year’s big game The Crypto Bowl. Coinbase spent $14 million for a minute-long ad spot that was just a QR code bouncing around the screen. Crypto.com put up an ad featuring Matt Damon, who told us that “fortune favors the brave,” eToro promoted “the power of social investing,” and a little company called FTX paid Larry David to urge us not to miss out on crypto. There was also Binance, which had an anti-Super Bowl ad campaign.
Well, the Matt Damon ad is no longer available on YouTube, though that hasn’t stopped it from being a repeatedsourceof ridicule for the actor. Coinbase laid off 20 percent of its workforce — twice. eToro also had a round of layoffs and abandoned plans to go public via a SPAC. And FTX, of course, became the poster child for the implosion of a fraud-filled and underregulated industry. Larry David got sued for appearing in its ads. The price of Bitcoin is down nearly 50 percent from where it was during Super Bowl LVI.
Crypto, which is still volatile and barely regulated, isn’t the only industry that fell from grace last year. Seemingly less risky initiatives from Big Tech companies also got Super Bowl ad play in 2022. Amazon’s Alexa commercial, which starred real-life married couple Scarlet Johansson and Colin Jost, cracked us up as Alexa’s mind-reading powers caused marital difficulties and awkward dinner parties. Of the thousands of employees Amazon laid off at the end of 2022, many worked on Alexa, which Amazon is reportedly scaling back on because the project loses billions of dollars a year.
And then there was Meta, which tried to sell both its Quest 2 VR headsets and its vision for the metaverse in a Super Bowl ad. It featured a creepy animatronic dog that loses its Chuck E. Cheese-like music gig, but with the help of a Meta VR headset, is able to play music again in Meta’s Horizon Worlds. But VR headset sales have shrunk in the last year, and Meta’s stock price plummeted in 2022. The company ended the year with the largest round of layoffs in its history.
The NFL itself even offered Super Bowl NFTs last year in a partnership with Ticketmaster, a company that since attracted the ire of every single Taylor Swift fan and also much of Congress over its ticket sales monopoly.
This year’s ads will still feature some glimpses of the (possible) future along with the standard Super Bowl commercial fare. There will be food, alcohol, and cars — including EVs again, which are now easier to find in stock and also eligible for tax credits. Apple, the only Big Tech company that hasn’t had layoffs so far, is sponsoring the halftime show. Netflix partnered with GM and Michelob for ads. Google will advertise its Pixel phones and their photo editing tools, which use AI.
Speaking of AI, we nearly got an ad that incorporated the hottest generative AI tool going these days: ChatGPT. Avocados From Mexico, a Mexican avocado advocacy organization, had planned to advertise those avocados with ChatGPT. The plan was to put a QR code in its ad that took users to a landing page where they could use ChatGPT to “engage with the brand and share the result of that engagement through their networks,” Avocados From Mexico’s vice president of marketing and innovation Ivonne Kinser told The Drum (she called this “avocado intelligence”). But the avocados were not able to get the ChatGPT feature together in time, and it was pulled.
There’s always Super Bowl LVIII. If the furor over generative AI keeps up through the year, next year’s big game may be festooned with ads from all the tech companies showing off their new generative AI-boosted services in flashy ads featuring the biggest stars in all the land — or maybe just AI-generated versions of them. Maybe we’ll call it the AI Bowl.
As for Web3, it hasn’t completely gone away. A gaming company will be giving away NFTs to promote its games in an ad purchased way back in the rosier times of October. The NFL announced there will be a Super Bowl concert in the metaverse-ish platform Roblox on Friday, which will replay every hour on the hour until Super Bowl Sunday. The league said there will be a “collection of digital items” for sale in conjunction with the concert as well. On February 4, the NFL also launched a Roblox game called NFL Super Tycoon, which “simulates an authentic business experience,” including managing payroll and taxes — surely, the very things that people are seeking in a video game about football.
It doesn’t look like there will be any official Ticketmaster Super Bowl NFTs for LVII, but I wouldn’t rule it out yet.
This story was first published in the Recode newsletter. Sign up here so you don’t miss the next one!
sa***********@****de.net“,”short_author_bio”:”is a senior Vox reporter who covers data privacy, antitrust, and Big Tech’s power over us all.”}],”byline_enabled”:true,”byline_credit_text”:”By”,”byline_serial_comma_enabled”:true,”comment_count”:0,”comments_enabled”:false,”legacy_comments_enabled”:false,”coral_comments_enabled”:false,”coral_comment_counts_enabled”:false,”commerce_disclosure”:null,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https://www.vox.com/”,”community_logo”:”rn“,”cross_community”:false,”groups”:[{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:80301,”timestamp”:1676032202,”title”:”Recode”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https://www.vox.com/recode”,”slug”:”recode”,”community_logo”:”rn“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https://www.vox.com/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:22891,”always_show”:false,”description”:”Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing — and changing us.”,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16201674/REC_Wordmark_Red_RGB.0.png”,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:true},{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:27524,”timestamp”:1676032202,”title”:”Technology”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https://www.vox.com/technology”,”slug”:”technology”,”community_logo”:”rn“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https://www.vox.com/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:2233,”always_show”:false,”description”:”How new technology is transforming cities and societies, from the latest apps to advances in renewable energy, computing, transportation, and more.”,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22360844/VoxTech_Highlight_2.gif”,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:false},{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:27572,”timestamp”:1675947604,”title”:”Sports”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https://www.vox.com/sports”,”slug”:”sports”,”community_logo”:”rn“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https://www.vox.com/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:815,”always_show”:false,”description”:”The big game is about more than winner and losers; it can shape our culture and society. We explain how. “,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:””,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:false},{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:27608,”timestamp”:1676057425,”title”:”Culture”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https://www.vox.com/culture”,”slug”:”culture”,”community_logo”:”rn“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https://www.vox.com/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:11055,”always_show”:false,”description”:”Stay up to date on the latest in television and movie reviews, books, celebrity culture, and more.rn”,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:””,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:false},{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:30774,”timestamp”:1676031004,”title”:”Business & Finance”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https://www.vox.com/business-and-finance”,”slug”:”business-and-finance”,”community_logo”:”rn“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https://www.vox.com/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:1447,”always_show”:false,”description”:”Vox’s coverage of business and finance: the stock market, the economy, companies behaving badly, and more. “,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:””,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:false},{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:64499,”timestamp”:1675955497,”title”:”Super Bowl”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https://www.vox.com/super-bowl”,”slug”:”super-bowl”,”community_logo”:”rn“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https://www.vox.com/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:35,”always_show”:false,”description”:”Vox’s coverage of the Super Bowl: halftime show reviews, commercials, and more.”,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:””,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:false},{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:107929,”timestamp”:1675947604,”title”:”Crypto”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https://www.vox.com/crypto”,”slug”:”crypto”,”community_logo”:”rn“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https://www.vox.com/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:26,”always_show”:false,”description”:”Vox’s coverage of crypto news, cryptocurrency, crypto regulation, and more. “,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:””,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:false}],”internal_groups”:[{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:72749,”timestamp”:1676053806,”title”:”Category—News”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:””,”slug”:”category-news”,”community_logo”:”rn“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https://www.vox.com/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:12185,”always_show”:false,”description”:””,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:””,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”}],”image”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956944/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg”,”network”:”unison”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:”A billboard advertising Super Bowl LVII in the Arizona desert.”,”credit”:”Christian Petersen/Getty Images”,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:2415,”top_left_y”:857,”bottom_right_x”:3069,”bottom_right_y”:1511},”bounds”:[0,0,4090,2727],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:4090,”height”:2727},”focal_point”:null,”image_id”:71956944,”alt_text”:””},”hub_image”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956944/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg”,”network”:”unison”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:”A billboard advertising Super Bowl LVII in the Arizona desert.”,”credit”:”Christian Petersen/Getty Images”,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:2415,”top_left_y”:857,”bottom_right_x”:3069,”bottom_right_y”:1511},”bounds”:[0,0,4090,2727],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:4090,”height”:2727},”focal_point”:null,”image_id”:71956944,”alt_text”:””},”lede_image”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg”,”network”:”unison”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:”A billboard advertising Super Bowl LVII in the Arizona desert.”,”credit”:”Christian Petersen/Getty Images”,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:2415,”top_left_y”:857,”bottom_right_x”:3069,”bottom_right_y”:1511},”bounds”:[0,0,4090,2727],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:4090,”height”:2727},”focal_point”:null,”image_id”:71956960,”alt_text”:””},”group_cover_image”:null,”picture_standard_lead_image”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg”,”network”:”unison”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:”A billboard advertising Super Bowl LVII in the Arizona desert.”,”credit”:”Christian Petersen/Getty Images”,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:2415,”top_left_y”:857,”bottom_right_x”:3069,”bottom_right_y”:1511},”bounds”:[0,0,4090,2727],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:4090,”height”:2727},”focal_point”:null,”image_id”:71956960,”alt_text”:””,”picture_element”:{“html”:{},”alt”:””,”default”:{“srcset”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JT0x58CFlw4bU0W0aIfS9XyAmKs=/0x0:4090×2727/320×240/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1F50vZ0PX96sd9smvPJDG950AVU=/0x0:4090×2727/620×465/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 620w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NL7lvxDxzEI9ldUcfi5JLzkvlh8=/0x0:4090×2727/920×690/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CXp0Nf44xY0BZLfrr4g_EaMcOj8=/0x0:4090×2727/1220×915/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 1220w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fIHlIVwPD6s8j2AkZl42w_cQAPs=/0x0:4090×2727/1520×1140/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 1520w”,”webp_srcset”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Sl_6MAjghw9UxGq-Tio6lW45pMs=/0x0:4090×2727/320×240/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mqwPi9HaLFcmKfiB7Df_ohsw_t4=/0x0:4090×2727/620×465/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 620w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/McQLWW5jdmMq0ncT8HGpXOu8vpg=/0x0:4090×2727/920×690/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/umPPdp_6C6-pvcxgKXD6V4LZ8BI=/0x0:4090×2727/1220×915/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 1220w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LOfDlZrVhzjCx8MZ0tSGwupJGvo=/0x0:4090×2727/1520×1140/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg 1520w”,”media”:null,”sizes”:”(min-width: 809px) 485px, (min-width: 600px) 60vw, 100vw”,”fallback”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IG6vy_aIqCn8nmqsjGDPzmO7U-o=/0x0:4090×2727/1200×900/filters:focal(2415×857:3069×1511)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71956960/GettyImages_1434284049.0.jpg”},”art_directed”:[]}},”image_is_placeholder”:false,”image_is_hidden”:false,”network”:”vox”,”omits_labels”:true,”optimizable”:false,”promo_headline”:”Last year’s Super Bowl ads aged like milk”,”recommended_count”:0,”recs_enabled”:false,”slug”:”recode/2023/2/9/23591622/super-bowl-commercials-lvii-crypto-ads”,”dek”:”Don’t expect to see any crypto ads this year.”,”homepage_title”:”Last year’s Super Bowl ads aged like milk”,”homepage_description”:”Don’t expect to see any crypto ads this year.”,”show_homepage_description”:false,”title_display”:”Last year’s Super Bowl ads aged like milk”,”pull_quote”:null,”voxcreative”:false,”show_entry_time”:true,”show_dates”:true,”paywalled_content”:false,”paywalled_content_box_logo_url”:””,”paywalled_content_page_logo_url”:””,”paywalled_content_main_url”:””,”article_footer_body”:”Millions turn to Vox to educate themselves, their family, and their friends about what’s happening in the world around them, and to learn about things that spark their curiosity. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. rn Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today.rn“,”article_footer_header”:”Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?“,”use_article_footer”:true,”article_footer_cta_annual_plans”:”{rn “default_plan”: 1,rn “plans”: [rn {rn “amount”: 95,rn “plan_id”: 74295rn },rn {rn “amount”: 120,rn “plan_id”: 81108rn },rn {rn “amount”: 250,rn “plan_id”: 77096rn }rn ]rn}”,”article_footer_cta_button_annual_copy”:”year”,”article_footer_cta_button_copy”:”Yes, I’ll give”,”article_footer_cta_button_monthly_copy”:”month”,”article_footer_cta_default_frequency”:”annual”,”article_footer_cta_monthly_plans”:”{rn “default_plan”: 1,rn “plans”: [rn {rn “amount”: 9,rn “plan_id”: 77780rn },rn {rn “amount”: 20,rn “plan_id”: 69279rn },rn {rn “amount”: 50,rn “plan_id”: 46947rn }rn ]rn}”,”article_footer_cta_once_plans”:”{rn “default_plan”: 0,rn “plans”: [rn {rn “amount”: 20,rn “plan_id”: 69278rn },rn {rn “amount”: 50,rn “plan_id”: 48880rn },rn {rn “amount”: 100,rn “plan_id”: 46607rn }rn ]rn}”,”use_article_footer_cta_read_counter”:true,”use_article_footer_cta”:true,”featured_placeable”:false,”video_placeable”:false,”disclaimer”:null,”volume_placement”:”lede”,”video_autoplay”:false,”youtube_url”:”http://bit.ly/voxyoutube”,”facebook_video_url”:””,”play_in_modal”:true,”user_preferences_for_privacy_enabled”:false,”show_branded_logos”:true}”>
What began as a routine walk through a quiet Colorado neighborhood turned into an unimaginable tragedy for former Penn State football player Kyle Vasey and his fiancée, Corinne More. On June 3, a pickup truck veered onto a sidewalk and struck the couple, leaving More dead and Vasey fighting for his life. One bystander who
HOUSTON — A clearer picture is emerging of where Texas Southern University will play its home football games in 2026. A school representative contacted HBCU Legends and said the schedule has not been finalized and remains subject to change. As Texas Southern marks its centennial next year, the football program is framing this season's multi-venue
Will Bettridge is about to become Virginia’s all-time leading scorer. He is like a goldfish, according to former Virginia kicker Matt Ganyard. “I think about what makes a great kicker,” Ganyard said in an interview with UVA On SI. “And then looking at Will, he absolutely embodies it. Thinking back to the Ted Lasso quote
The NFL’s Changing Landscape: Why Talent Evaluation Matters More Than Ever The National Football League remains the most popular sports competition in the United States, attracting millions of viewers every season and generating enormous interest among fans, analysts, scouts, and bettors alike. While star quarterbacks and championship contenders often dominate headlines, the foundation of every
What began as a routine walk through a quiet Colorado neighborhood turned into an unimaginable tragedy for former Penn State football player Kyle Vasey and his fiancée, Corinne More. On June 3, a pickup truck veered onto a sidewalk and struck the couple, leaving More dead and Vasey fighting for his life. One bystander who
HOUSTON — A clearer picture is emerging of where Texas Southern University will play its home football games in 2026. A school representative contacted HBCU Legends and said the schedule has not been finalized and remains subject to change. As Texas Southern marks its centennial next year, the football program is framing this season's multi-venue
Will Bettridge is about to become Virginia’s all-time leading scorer. He is like a goldfish, according to former Virginia kicker Matt Ganyard. “I think about what makes a great kicker,” Ganyard said in an interview with UVA On SI. “And then looking at Will, he absolutely embodies it. Thinking back to the Ted Lasso quote
The NFL’s Changing Landscape: Why Talent Evaluation Matters More Than Ever The National Football League remains the most popular sports competition in the United States, attracting millions of viewers every season and generating enormous interest among fans, analysts, scouts, and bettors alike. While star quarterbacks and championship contenders often dominate headlines, the foundation of every
Three schools in three years was probably not how Chris Barnes wanted to start his college football career. Now at Oklahoma State, he hopes this decision sticks. Barnes began his college football career at Washington State in 2024 as a redshirt and he followed that by transferring to Wake Forest in 2025. Why does a
Astana, Kazakhstan, Jun 2, 2026 - (ACN Newswire) - A business delegation led by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), John Lee, and organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), began its visit to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on 1 June. During the visit, a total of 43
Real business trips almost never go the way the itinerary promised. They start with a confidently-packed suitcase and an eight-page agenda, and somewhere between the airport gate and the hotel breakfast they quietly turn into something nobody could have invented — equal parts comedy, chaos, and unscheduled adventure. These 13 real business trip moments are exactly that kind of work-trip plot
From July 1, any branded SMS your business sends without a registered sender ID will be labelled “Unverified” and grouped with scam messages. What’s happening: From 1 July 2026, any business or organisation that sends SMS using a branded name, such as “MyShop” or “AcmeServices”, instead of a phone number, must have that sender ID
