Sharpie Rolls Out Ad Campaign Featuring Hinsdale Central Teen

Sharpie rolled out an ad campaign Wednesday featuring a Hinsdale Central teen, who is a rising pop singer and songwriter. The company, which produces the popular permanent marker, chose to feature four rising teen artists in print and online ads explaining how they use Sharpie in their creative endeavors.

Three of the four already had been with the Sharpie Squad, a group of 21 Sharpie users who act as advocates of the product. Sixteen-year-old Marirose Weldon signed with Sharpie in May and is the newest member of the group. 

Weldon was recommended for the campaign by a classmate’s mother, who is an ad executive in the Chicago office of Draftfcb, the agency behind the new Sharpie ads.

“The fact that this huge company (Sharpie) asked me to represent them—I was shocked. I was honored that they chose me,” said Weldon.

In addition to shooting print ads for the company’s liquid pencil product, the teen also shot a webisode, that is being featured on YouTube, the site’s blog and Alloy.com partner sites.

“It was the biggest, most involved day [of the campaign for me],” the teen remembers. “That was like a 15-hour shoot and probably the longest day of my entire life. After the fifth hour, I was like, ‘My gosh, 10 more hours of this.”

Although it was a tiring day for her, Weldon said that when it was over, all she felt was excitement to see the final product.

The “Start With Sharpie” marketing campaign is part of the re-launching of Sharpie’s website and is being released in conjunction with a new back-to-school product line and makeover of the company’s product packaging.

“The campaign is about inspiration. Teens are our primary audience, and they’re the group that uses our products in the most creative and inspiring ways,” said Gretchen Hickman, Sharpie global marketing director. “We worked with [Marirose,] because she is very talented, and she uses our Sharpie liquid pencil to write her lyrics.”

Feet on the ground, song on the air

The release of the new Sharpie campaign comes on the heels of the teen’s song “I Want Love” getting airplay on Chicago’s WTMX 101.9FM. Although her songs had been played on top 40 stations in Wisconsin, Weldon had yet to hear her song played in the Chicago area where she lives.

“I was completely speechless,” said Weldon. “The day I was told I was going to be on the radio, [my family and I] stayed inside blasting the radio all night. “When I heard the beginning sounds of “I Want Love…” It was the coolest thing in the world.”

Weldon started songwriting as an outlet for the pain she experienced after her mother’s death. She was only nine years old when she discovered her mother dead from an undiagnosed brain tumor. She sat down with Patch in May to talk about the experience and what helped her through that time. You can see the story here.

During the same interview, Weldon talked about her mother being the inspiration for her career.

“I think she’d be really proud that I’m doing this in honor of her. I remind people that that’s how I got started,” said Weldon. “I want my music to be positive and uplifting.”

Weldon’s songs caught the attention of Ted Hoekstra, director of promotion and marketing for RCA Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. Acting as her unofficial manager and mentor, Hoekstra submitted the teen as a candidate for U Mix It, a WTMX program that allows listeners to choose what songs are played. The program airs from 8 p.m. to midnight on weeknights, and artists are chosen based on request volume.  Weldon’s song first began to air in June.

“Radioplay is for the most part controlled by the big record companies,” said Paul Weldon, Marirose’s father. “To have someone who is independent without money or clout getting plays—it’s like shooting off firecrackers—it’s very surprising."

Marirose said spending time with family and friends has helped her maintain a sense of normalcy in her life.

“I’m around my family and friends, and they don’t treat me any different. That’s the main way I stay grounded,” she said.

Weldon is scheduled to be interviewed for NBC Chicago’s The Talk on Friday. Her print ads will appear in Teen Vogue, Seventeen and Us Weekly, among other print and online publications in late August and early September.

**Calls to WTMX for comment were not returned by publication time.