Naomi Watts, Mick Fanning star for Square's first Australian brand push

Square has launched its first Australian brand campaign, moving beyond payments and point-of-sale messaging to position itself as a growth partner for local businesses.

The campaign, See You in the Neighbourhood, will run across TV, radio, digital, social and out-of-home in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane featuring Naomi Watts, Daniel Ricciardo and Mick Fanning alongside more than 100 Square sellers across the three markets.

Square is the payments and point-of-sale business owned by Block, the technology company co-founded by former Twitter boss Jack Dorsey. Block’s portfolio also includes Cash App, Afterpay, TIDAL, Bitkey and Proto, giving Square a place inside a wider commerce, payments and technology ecosystem.

In Australia, the campaign points to Square’s effort to build a more emotional brand platform around local business, rather than relying only on functional messages around payments, terminals and point-of-sale tools.

At launch, hero placements feature Watts with Bakery on Glenayr in Sydney, Ricciardo (pictured below) with Leonard’s House of Love in Melbourne and Fanning with Pasture & Co on the Gold Coast.

Through August, Square will spotlight local businesses across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, including Firedoor, AP Bakery and Fishbowl in Sydney; France Soir, Baker Bleu and Tarts Anon in Melbourne; and The Green Edge, Nodo and Manly Boathouse in Brisbane.

The campaign will also extend to more than 120 additional Square sellers through hyper-local out-of-home placements in their own neighbourhoods.

Square Australia marketing lead Stacey Lowther said the campaign was built around the role local sellers play in their communities.

“Square serves an extraordinary breadth of sellers - and what unites every one of them is their role as a neighbourhood connector,” Lowther said.

“Their restaurants, cafés, bakeries and bars are where people gather, connect and feel at home. By helping those businesses thrive, we help their neighbourhoods thrive.”

Square said the campaign was informed by its Neighbourhood Nation research and Local Economy Report, which found 54% of Australians feel more connected to their neighbourhood than five years ago, while 73% of monthly dining spend goes to local venues.

The company said its transaction data also showed repeat customer loyalty was higher in suburban venues than in CBD venues, and rising.

For Square, the campaign gives the brand a broader local story at a time when payments and small business technology platforms are competing to own more of the merchant relationship.

“This campaign signals externally what Square has been quietly building towards for over a decade - giving every seller, regardless of their size, the tools they need to grow, thrive, and become a neighbourhood favourite,” Lowther said.

The campaign was produced in Australia by Square’s internal creative team, led by executive creative director Sean Conroy. Media buying is handled by AlchemyOne, with production by Entropico and Mirae Creative, and photography by Declan Blackwell.