Sharpie is launching a new ad push that asks "What would the world be like without self-expression?" The Oakbrook, Il-based company, a division of Newell Rubbermaid's Office Products Group is
positioning the brand as a tool for creative expression in the new effort, via Draftfcb Chicago. The campaign, comprising print, digital and broadcast ads show Sharpie markers adding color to things
like protest signs, skateboards, electric guitars, jeans, motorcycle helmets, even hitch-hiking signs. Voiceover, with a British accent, asks "What would the world be like without self expression?
There'd be no purpose, no passion, no putting it out there for everyone to see." Tag: "Sharpie. Uncap what's inside." The TV ad for the campaign started on May 12 during the finale of America's Next
Top Model and will run through June, per the company. Season finales including ABC Network's Dancing with the Stars and series finale of Lost will also show the ads, which will run as well on CW's
Gossip Girl and 15 cable networks including E!, VH1, ABC Family, TLC, HGTV, Lifetime, BET, MTV and more. Magazine print ads follow the theme, taking prosaic household items and vivifying them via
Sharpie markers: one has a shark drawn on a fish tank with an unsuspecting goldfish in the bowl, and a Sharpie-drawn smiley face on a sandwich bag giving the sandwich a life of its own. The magazine
placements will appear in People, O The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Essence, Us Weekly and others, per the company. This week the company is also launching a social-media leg on its
SharpieUncapped.com site linked to its Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites and the company's blog. The effort, around the theme "What would the world be like without self expression?" encourages
visitors to the site to submit images and videos of how they have used Sharpies to enliven prosaic items or create art. Each month, Some will be showcased at the site's galley. The site also has a
virtual drawing section. Web Ink where visitors can virtually interact with Sharpie products to create their own Sharpie art. Sharpie's launched its first national ad campaign in 2002 with the theme
"How do you use your Sharpie?" The company launched the "Uncap what's inside" campaign and web site last June with print and TV ads that, like the new effort, showed Sharpie markers elevating everyday
items.