Normie, a base chain meme coin, has issued a public apology after releasing a promotional video that included a depiction of suicide, sparking significant backlash from the cryptocurrency community. The controversial video, which has since been deleted, featured the Normie character committing suicide, being buried, and then having a conversation with a God-like figure who instructs it to refund the community and relaunch to return to Earth. The video concluded with the character resurrecting, accompanied by news reports stating, “Death is not a problem.”
This incident comes on the heels of a severe exploit in May, which saw the Normie token’s value drop by 99% within a few hours. In response to the crisis, Normie has been actively working to regain trust by issuing refunds to those affected and introducing a new token with enhanced security measures.
As part of its relaunch strategy, Normie’s Twitter account has been actively posting promotional content. While previous videos were well-received as the project sought to recover from its exploit, the latest video crossed a line, leading to a widespread outcry on crypto Twitter.
Users criticized the project, with comments suggesting that Normie was promoting suicide or urging others to “send this atrocity to zero once and for all” due to the “disgusting content.” A well-known crypto influencer simply responded with, “Jesus Christ.”
Following the backlash, Normie removed the video from its social media and issued a statement explaining that the video was intended to convey a message of hope and possibility for recovery, not to trivialize such a sensitive issue. The post also mentioned the firing of the intern responsible for the video, a move that has been met with skepticism in the crypto community, where firing interns has become a recurring meme after controversies.
This episode serves as a reminder of the importance of sensitive content management in marketing communications, especially in industries like cryptocurrency, where public perception can significantly impact a project’s success and credibility.