Start with Sharpie shows off new products, packaging, website

OAK BROOK, Ill. — Sharpie has put its brand in the spotlight with its Start with Sharpie back-to-school campaign, a multichannel effort that includes a new product lineup and website makeover.

As part of its campaign, Sharpie will debut print and digital ads and an upcoming YouTube platform. Additionally, Sharpie will run interactive digital display and video ads on other websites, including Alloy, AOL, MTV and Hulu.

For its packaging, which has undergone the first major redesign in more than a decade, Sharpie said that its new look shifts away from a mostly black to white color footprint, a larger and angled Sharpie logo and more.

On the new product front, Sharpie is slated to roll out three all-new marquee products as part of the Start with Sharpie campaign:

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  Gel Highlighter: This year's back-to-school must-have features gel stick technology that prevents smearing, bleed-through and drying out — and makes highlighting fun with its smooth gel formulation;

  
  


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  Stained by Sharpie: A bold, colorful line of Sharpie markers specifically developed for performance on most fabric surfaces; and

  
  


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  Sharpie 80's Glam: Vibrant, limited-edition permanent markers perfect for creating hip, colorful masterpieces. The collection turns back time with five new colors, chosen by Sharpie's Facebook fans, including Argyle Green, Leg Warmer Orange, Jellie Pink, Banana Clip Yellow and Valley Girl Violet.

  
  

Sharpie also is adding new color selections to such other brand favorites as the Sharpie Mini (magenta, Valley Girl Violet, turquoise), Sharpie Pen fine tip (turquoise, coral, clover, hot pink) and Sharpie Liquid Pencil (new barrel colors include turquoise, orange, lime and purple). Currently, the Sharpie family includes 34 varieties, nine tip sizes and up to 30 assorted colors.

Another part of Sharpie's back-to-school campaign is a redesigned, socially optimized website. Sharpie.com now features a new more user-friendly community experience where fans can create their own unique profile, upload and share their Sharpie projects, easily navigate the full product portfolio via an interactive color wheel, view how-to videos and Sharpie fan galleries, and engage with Sharpie on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the Sharpie blog.