'Never going to explain the world of crypto with OOH': Why crypto companies are focused on billboards for brand awareness, legitimacy

Last fall, cryptic messages began showing atop the iconic Columbus Circle billboard in New York City. Along with the temperature and time, the sign at first showed words from a now-famous white paper written by Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym for the creator of bitcoin. Later, it started displaying “dad jokes” like: “What do you call a crypto turkey? A HODL HODL HODL.”

Turned out it was all an ad for the crypto exchange Gemini, which bought a three-year lease for the billboard. (The company has been buying out-of-home ads since 2019; it ran ads on Los Angeles buses that promised: “Crypto without chaos.”)

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