Since April, I’ve probably spent more time streaming live events than I’d like to admit.

It started with the NBA Playoffs, the conclusion of Europe’s football leagues, and multiple award shows. Then came FIFA World Cup has taken over the summer and is down to the semifinal stage.

Like millions of others, I’ve watched these events across Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, Hulu, Philo, and several other streaming platforms.

After enough games, something funny happened.

I realized I could recite entire commercials from memory.

“What’s in your wallet?”

“There are no fees or minimums on…”

Some commercials aired so many times during a single game that by halftime, I knew every line before the actors said it.

That’s not a criticism. It’s proof that advertising works.

The repetition is intentional.

Sometimes there weren’t even enough advertisements to fill every break. Instead, the streaming service would display a simple screen saying, “Your viewing will resume shortly.”

Watching those empty breaks made me wonder: What if some of those advertising slots were used to make people harder to scam?

Cybersecurity Should Be Part of the Brand

Banks, telecommunications providers, insurance companies, healthcare organizations, and technology companies are among the industries most frequently targeted by cybercriminals. Ironically, these are also some of the biggest advertisers during live sporting events.

Every week, they send customers text messages and emails saying things like, “We will never ask for your one time passcode,” “Never transfer money because someone claiming to be from the bank tells you to,” “Be cautious of suspicious links,” and “Watch out for impersonation scams.”

Most of us never read them. We glance at the notification, realize it isn’t a payment alert, and swipe it away.

But imagine hearing that same message during a commercial break instead.

Picture This Commercial

An excited grandmother rushes into the living room.

“I’ve just won a free Caribbean cruise! They only need my banking information and Social Security number so they can send the prize!”

She starts reaching for her purse.

Her grandchildren immediately stop her.

“Grandma, that’s a scam.”

“The bank would never ask for that.”

“They’re trying to steal your money.”

The commercial ends with a simple message:

Nonexistent Bank will never ask for your one-time passcode, online banking password, or ask you to move money to ‘protect’ your account. If someone does, hang up. It’s a scam.

“Because at Nonexistent Bank, your security is our priority.”

The company still promotes its brand. The customer learns something useful. Everyone wins.

Marketing Can Sell More Than Products

Modern marketers are incredibly good at making messages memorable. If an advertising campaign can make millions of people remember a slogan after hearing it ten times during one basketball game, imagine if that same creativity were used to reinforce safe cybersecurity habits.

Not every commercial has to be about cashback rewards, interest rates, or unlimited data plans. Some could help customers recognize scams before they become victims.

We Need to Make Cybersecurity Second Nature

We teach children to wash their hands before eating. We buckle our seatbelts without thinking. We brush our teeth every morning because those habits have become automatic.

Cybersecurity deserves the same treatment.

Unfortunately, many of today’s attacks still succeed because criminals exploit basic human behavior rather than sophisticated technology.

Despite years of awareness campaigns, people continue to reuse passwords, ignore multi factor authentication, click phishing links, share verification codes, and trust callers pretending to be from their bank or internet provider.

Many of the scams succeeding today rely on techniques that have existed for well over a decade.

Technology has evolved. Human habits often haven’t.

Security Can Become a Competitive Advantage

Companies love to compete on features.

Banks compete on cashback, rewards, and interest rates. Internet providers compete on download speeds. Streaming platforms compete on exclusive content.

But perhaps it’s time to compete just as aggressively on security.

Imagine if consumers began associating certain brands with protection as much as they associate them with convenience.

A secure bank account should be just as marketable as a premium credit card.

A secure internet connection should be just as valuable as a faster one.

The Cost of Being Scammed Goes Beyond Money

Many financial institutions reimburse fraudulent transactions.

That’s important.

But reimbursement doesn’t erase everything else.

Victims often have to cancel cards, update payment information across dozens of websites, wait for replacement cards, spend hours speaking with customer support, monitor their credit, and worry about identity theft.

Most importantly, they lose confidence.

That emotional cost rarely appears in financial reports, but it is very real.

A Different Kind of Commercial Break

Companies already spend millions of dollars to place advertisements in front of massive audiences.

What if a small percentage of those ads did more than sell products?

What if they helped people recognize phishing attempts?

Spot impersonation scams?

Protect their personal information?

The same repetition that makes us remember advertising slogans could also make good cybersecurity habits automatic.

If enough people knew what legitimate organizations would never ask them to do, cybercriminals would have a much harder time succeeding.

Maybe the most valuable commercial during the next big game won’t be the funniest one.

Maybe it’ll be the one that prevents someone from becoming the next victim.