Advertisers during last night’s Super Bowl painted a picture of what the future might hold.

• Ad spots were filled overwhelmingly with still-nascent trends like VR and crypto, areas that businesses hope to make mainstream, Hope writes.

Why it matters: Companies that dropped millions for a spot wanted to strike an upbeat, forward-looking tone while the world is just barely easing out of the pandemic. 

• The game remains one of the few chances companies have to make a positive, lasting impression on a massive number of people, so the stakes are high. 

Catch up quick: Through their ads, companies across the board told stories against a non-pandemic setting.

• There was no mention of the health crisis or masking, and instead there were shots of a lot of people being out and about, notes Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Flashback: Companies last year were careful to avoid the “p” word too, even as they focused on spending time outdoors or in backyards.

What they’re saying: “I was struck by the positive tone of a lot of the ads,” Calkins tells Axios. 

• “The reality is a lot of people are still very much working through the pandemic … so there was [a split] between what people are experiencing and what advertisers were talking about.” 

The big picture: Super Bowl advertisers generally focus on a cheery or even idealized view of the world. 

Maybe your Valentine’s Day date should start with a background check, Nathan writes.

• Romance scams have reached at least a five-year high, according to reports submitted to the Federal Trade Commission.

By the numbers: 56,000 Americans reported losing $547 million in love-bait ploys in 2021, up from 17,000 reporting $87 million in losses in 2017.

• The new Netflix documentary “The Tinder Swindler” details the exploits of alleged serial conman Shimon Hayut, who “was able to scam women out of approximately $10 million” through dating apps, according to GQ. He has reportedly denied the allegations.

How it works: Romance scammers often use fake online profiles with attractive photos, according to the FTC.

• They will often avoid meeting in person, creating elaborate stories as to why they can't, the FTC reports.
• More than one-third of romance scams started on Facebook or Instagram in 2021.

The bottom line: If your prospective love interest wants money, swipe left.

💵 BlockFi will pay a $100 million settlement with regulators in a precedent-setting Crypto lending case. (Axios)

🚙 Investor George Soros built a significant stake in EV truck maker Rivian Automotive last quarter. (Automotive News)

🚀 Shift4 founder Jared Isaacman commissioned three additional missions with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. (CNBC)

Avocados from Mexico are suddenly staying there, write Axios' Ivana Saric and Nathan.

Threat level: The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed to Axios Monday that it has indefinitely blocked imports of Mexican avocados after what it called a "verbal threat" toward its employees in the state of Michoacán.

• An American plant safety inspector received a threatening call, Mexican authorities reported.
• Drug cartels engaged in turf battles have regularly extorted growers in Michoacán, the only Mexican state authorized to export avocados to the U.S., AP reported.

What we're watching: Whether the export ban continues long enough to affect the availability or price of avocados.

What they're saying: "The suspension will remain in place for as long as necessary to ensure the appropriate actions are taken to secure the safety" of USDA personnel, USDA spokesperson Suzanne Bond said in a statement.

If happiness can be learned, Harvard has a class for that, Nathan writes.

What’s happening: Harvard Business School is offering “Leadership and Happiness,” a popular class for 180 MBA students led by “Gross National Happiness” author Arthur C. Brooks.

• Students learn that “happiness isn’t just a product of chance, genes or life circumstances,” the Wall Street Journal reports, “but of habitually tending to four key areas — family, friends, meaningful work, and faith or life philosophy.”

Nathan’s thought bubble: Personal connections and experiences — not things or achievements — fuel happiness.

"[A]ccelerate change by inviting the ‘dinobabies’ (new species) to leave."