- Algorand mocked its rivals in a new ad highlighting its payment efficiency.
- The lighthearted ad played on rival chains’ weak points.
- Algorand has its own drawbacks.
Crypto TV ads are back in vogue after a notable absence from this year’s Super Bowl. Some might chalk it up to coincidence, while others would attribute this to bullish sentiment following Bitcoin’s new $74,000 all-time high in March. Whatever the reason, crypto is back on the airwaves with renewed vigor.
Kicking off the push was Coinbase’s pizza-themed campaign that began by hyping the Bitcoin halving in April. But Algorand has one-upped Coinbase with a bold new promotion mocking the drawbacks of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana as payment methods, while also featuring SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci in the mix.
Algorand Rags on Rivals
Algorand’s new TV ad pulled no punches in mocking Bitcoin’s sluggish confirmation times, Ethereum’s sky-high gas fees, and Solana’s network unreliability, portraying these drawbacks as intolerable when paying for groceries in the real world.
The commercial humorously portrays a group of unlucky shoppers struggling to pay for groceries. One unlucky soul using BTC has to awkwardly wait nearly half an hour for final confirmation. The Ethereum user is stunned as gas fees turn his small purchase into a hefty bill. And let’s not forget the Solana holder, who keeps tapping away but gets no verification at all.
In contrast, the Algorand crew breezes through the checkout line effortlessly. As they zip through, a bemused Scaramucci wanders over, asking, “How do I get in that line?”
While the cheeky ad humorously poked fun at Algorand’s blockchain rivals, the crypto community’s reaction was decidedly mixed.
Uno Reverse
The cheeky ad received a mixed response from the crypto community. Some praised the commercial, including influencer artchick.eth, who tweeted that it was compelling enough to convince her to stack some ALGO.
Likewise, the founder of Gokhshtein Media, David Gokhstein, who knows a thing or two about marketing impact, stated “Finally, @AlgoFoundation is starting to market their product correctly.”
However, Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Solana ecosystem developer Helius Labs, turned the tables on Algorand, highlighting the spate of Algorand blockchain explorers that have recently shut shop, saying the ad spend could have been put to better use keeping its ecosystem infrastructure going. Mumtaz also snipped at Algorand’s “centralized relayers” and modest “10 tps” throughput speed.
Algorand advocate “Ⱥlex | france.algo” attributed hostility toward the ad as internal conflict over ETH and SOL being “huge barriers delaying mass adoption and repelling many potential users,” adding that the anger shown is a sign of the “unease” felt around championing flawed technology.
On the Flipside
- A relatable ad may not necessarily translate to real-world adoption and usage on the Algorand network.
- 89% of ALGO investors are underwater at the current price.
Why This Matters
This provocative ad campaign underscores how intense the competition has become among Layer 1s. While mocking rivals can grab instant attention, Algorand has its own issues to contend with.
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