Square, known for its widespread, square-shaped mobile
card reader launched in 2009, is refreshing its brand with a new tagline and brand platform emphasizing its connection to local businesses. smal
“See You in the Neighborhood“
launches with a national campaign highlighting “notable neighbors” in a bid to emphasize the kind of small, local businesses that have relied on Square over the years. Across a series of
ads, the brand stresses the importance of small businesses to their community, and vice versa. That emphasis doesn’t mean the campaign is without its big names, however.
Atlanta rapper
and SWAG Shop Barbershop owner Killer Mike stars in one of a series of ads at the center of the national campaign, entitled “See You at the SWAG Shop.” In the spot, he stresses that “If it wasn’t for the neighborhood believing in us the way they did, I would have closed the shop years ago,” before
tying the sentiment to the Square payment platform.
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“The neighborhood is our lifeblood as a business. It tells us what's cool, and what's happening next,” Killer Mike said in a
statement. “Square made it easy for us early on, whether it was selling merch on tour or opening the first SWAG Shop to now having three locations.”
He added that the service
allowed the business to “focus on actually talking to and getting to know our neighborhood and our customers,” while providing valuable info to help it plan for the future.
Another
TV spot focuses on Ggiata Deli, a local favorite in Los Angeles founded by three childhood friends, with plans to expand its business. Other ads in the
campaign will focus on Emma Rogue, founder of New York vintage boutique shop Rogue Collective, and Jimmy Butler, NBA all-star and Bigface Coffee founder.
In addition to the national TV and
online video components, the campaign will include a series of activations in OOH and other local media, highlighting a host of businesses in major cities across the country, as well as “Walking
Clubs” offering curated neighborhood walks.
Other ads will highlight business such as New York’s Bang Bang Tattoo, Miss Lily’s Wings and Tings, and NYC Film Lab;
Chicago’s Lyric Opera, and Village Discount Outlet; Free Play Arcade, and The Plant Outlet in Dallas; The Boil House, and The Hat Store in Houston; Bob’s Donuts, and Green Apple Books in
San Francisco; and Seattle’s Fremont Brewing Company, and Knutsen Farms.
There’s also a video featuring Square CMO Lindsey Irvine on the brand’s YouTube page introducing the
new Square brand.
“Local businesses today face more complexity, have higher costs, and greater expectations. And yet they’re showing up with greater creativity,
resilience, and ambition,” she says in the video. “And our brand needed to evolve to match that.”
Last month, the brand introduced a $10,000 Cornerstone Grant Program, designed to connect local business with access to growth capital and other resources.
“Square is the only platform that can serve every business in every neighborhood – and by helping these businesses thrive, we help their neighborhoods thrive,” Irvine said in a
statement. “Our new brand strategy is designed to help sellers feel seen, supported, and celebrated.”