Local area marketing allows businesses to take advantage of opportunities to engage with individuals, businesses and media in their community. It can be incredibly potent when done well, either for a larger brand to amplify the messages of a larger campaign, or for a smaller company to have a big effect in a cost effective way. Not sure if it’s for you?

45% of Australian businesses get the majority of their business from local customers.

If you’ve got the best customer service in the biz, how do you demonstrate the power of making your customers smile?

This awesome combined ambient and digital campaign is on behalf of Swiss health insurance company KPT (yes, fun and an insurance company? Who knew?). Their agency created the world’s first smile-powered pinball game (play it online too — there goes your afternoon!) to increase awareness of their great customer service in the most delightful and smile-inducing way:

And for those looking for a lo-fi way of delighting passers-by, how about a trip to a hardware store?

This project features on US hardware store The Home Depot website as a way to feature a product called Rust-Oleum NeverWet. But my little marketing brain goes wild with the possibilities of this stuff when combined with good creative. Imagine, artwork or messages suddenly appearing on a wall or footpath when it gets wet? Awesome stuff. (Just be sure to ask your parents and local council first…)