The Official Cryptocurrency Exchange brand of MLB is playing a bit of a name game to lead off Opening Day. FTX’s latest national campaign features All-Star pitcher and batter, Shohei Ohtani, of the Los Angeles Angels.
The American League MVP was announced as a global FTX ambassador in November of 2021, with Ohtani taking stake in FTX and being compensated entirely in crypto.
Since FTX didn’t get a chance to offer up a nickname for Ohtani when he first asked in December of 2017, the name is getting a late entrant to the masses.
The spot, created by dentsuMB, highlights the similarities between all the ways people can trade on the exchange and the dual-threat phenom’s talents.
Matt Aselton of Arts & Sciences directed the campaign. He previously directed “You In” and “The Trade” for FTX. Watch below:
REELated: JuneShine launches first live TVC
“Shohei isn’t just an athletic force, he’s a first-mover for financial autonomy” shares FTX Co-Founder and CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, on the brand’s latest sports marketing play. “To truly shake up the future of finance, we know our exchange can’t be one-dimensional.”
The spot’s release coincides with FTX’s latest growth spurt following its Super Bowl debut featuring Larry David.
Since the Super Bowl, TechCrunch reports there has been a 130% boost in week-over-week app downloads for FTX, followed by 81% user uptick the next day. And more than 45 million people have viewed the Director’s cut of the spot on FTX’s YouTube. USA Today’s Ad Meter Replay Ratings named the spot “Most Comical” in the Big Game.
The brand notes that the script for this work was actually written and approved during the shoot for FTX’s Super Bowl spot. And, this work was produced over Super Bowl weekend.
The multi-tasking was real.
“Crypto has proven over and over again that it isn’t just a fad. It’s here to stay for the long haul, and so are we,” shares FTX Head of Marketing Nathaniel Whittemore. “Our network of partners, including Major League Baseball and Shohei Ohtani, create opportunities for us to introduce new people to crypto and to give them resources to learn about an industry we think will be an increasingly important part of the future.”
Ohtani was captured on a green screen from Arizona on 2/10 while the rest was shot 2/14-2/17 in LA, with Ohtani stitched in—in post-production.
According to an NBC News poll released in March of 2022—one in five adults has invested in, traded or used crypto. Yet, 56% of the polled population remains neutral or unsure about the crypto industry.
Whittemore says FTX will continue expanding the set of safe, regulated products it offers to boost confidence in the category. He points to another recent campaign featuring Steph Curry, created in partnership with Colormatics, which acts as a gateway to a library loaded with quick-hit explainers and educational resources produced in collaboration with some of TikTok’s influential finance creators on various need-to-know crypto and financial topics.
#FTX #cryptocurrency #LosAngelesAngels #mlb #Shohei Ohtani #dentsuMB
