Franklin Templeton ditches laser eyes a month after bitcoin ETF approval

Asset management company Franklin Templeton has ditched its laser-eyed founding father profile picture and switched to something far more reserved, just weeks after its crypto takeover.

Laser eyes represent hype where bitcoin is concerned, and were incorporated by Templeton, along with an image of Benjamin Franklin in its profile picture on January 10. In the same month, its bitcoin ETF was approved and Templeton let its crypto research team take over its X (formerly Twitter) account to shitpost controversial crypto takes.

However, as of today, the picture has been replaced with an abstract red, yellow, and green pattern and the tagline ‘hello progress,’ which was used in a previous Templeton marketing campaign.

laser eyes gone https://t.co/dIT83uUp4I pic.twitter.com/4PnB4HnQ8M
— Pledditor (@Pledditor) February 9, 2024

Of course, the change doesn’t mean the company isn’t still bullish on bitcoin. Yesterday, it shared a promotional clip in which its CEO Jenny Johnson and its head of digital assets Sandy Kaul appeared as holograms to celebrate the launch of its bitcoin ETF.

For the first time at @Cboe, a hologram graced the stage to celebrate the launch of Franklin Bitcoin ETF (https://t.co/OGDyC1WwJl). See how our ETF team, CEO Jenny Johnson and Head of Digital Assets and Advisory Services Sandy Kaul commemorated the launch of EZBC. pic.twitter.com/9Bs4qzUJtt
— Franklin Templeton (@FTI_US) February 8, 2024

That said, it’s certainly a more controlled marketing approach when compared to its crypto takeover. During the few hours in which the crypto research team had control of its X account, it claimed that speculation was a ‘feature’ of crypto, and joked about an Ethereum midlife crisis.

Responses were mixed. One X user claimed “Franklin Templeton really went full shitcoin bag shilling. It’s hilarious to watch 😂,” while another said, “I’ve never seen a major financial institution destroy their credibility so fast…. holy yikes.”

Franklin Templeton clarified in an email to Protos that ‘Laser Eyes Ben’ “was never a permanent addition to the @FTI_US handle given its very broad-based business and capabilities beyond digital assets.”

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Update February 9, 18:27 UTC: Copy updated to include email response from Franklin Templeton.