Over the years, experts have dismissed Bitcoin as being a risky, volatile and speculative investment. To change consumer perceptions of the cryptocurrency, Bitbuy is making a comparison between sports-betting and betting against Bitcoin in its new national campaign, dubbed “Don’t Bet Against Crypto.”

Charlie Aikenhead, senior VP of communications at WonderFi (Bitbuy’s owner), tells strategy that the campaign is specifically targeting football fans – many of whom are interested in sports-betting and cryptocurrencies – via ads on sports streamer DAZN.

“Since the legalization of sports-betting in Ontario, live sports broadcasts have been dominated by sports-betting ads, and we wanted to break into that space,” Aikenhead adds. “DAZN also has a great offering of live NFL, international soccer and other sports that we know our target audience interacts with, so we thought it would be a great place to reach them.”

While not a new audience strategy – in 2022 Bitbuy created Super Bowl ads starring former Raptor Kyle Lowry, and in 2023, it partnered with Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes to help popularize the crypto – the campaign does take a new creative direction, with the brand simplifying its message to focus more on Bitcoin and its journey over the past 13 years.

The goal is to break down the widespread belief that Bitcoin is not a legitimate investment asset, says Aikenhead, and “remind the audience that betting against Bitcoin has not historically been a good move.”

The timing of the campaign follows a decision by the U.S. Commission to approve the listing and trading of a number of spot bitcoin exchange-traded product shares. It includes OOH, 15-second videos, broadcast bumpers and digital creative ads that will be seen in Canada and Australia.

Creative was developed in-house, while Bulletin Media closed the deal for DAZN.