Sharpie S-Gel

Rookie
of the
Year.

A three-year Sharpie S-Gel platform. From the signing moment to the rookie season to the origin of a legend. Five athletes. One pen.

01. The Premise

Before the stats. Before the highlights. The signature.

The first thing every professional athlete does is sign their name. Contract, ball, jersey, kid's hat in the parking lot. The Sharpie is in their hand.

That ritual was the door in. Three years. Five athletes. One platform.

02. Year One

Sign your future.

The Sharpie Signature Combine.

They trained their whole lives for the league. We made sure they were ready for the signature.

Sharpie S-Gel · "Rookie of the Year" · Director's Cut
QB · Atlanta
Michael Penix Jr.
NFL First Round
WR · Chicago
Rome Odunze
NFL First Round
Concept
Athletes training for peak signature performance. A combine they didn't know existed.
Tone
Sports-adjacent. Conceptually tight. Played straight enough that you almost believed it.
Hero Product
Sharpie S-Gel. The pen that holds up to a million autographs.
The Win
Proved the platform. The signature was a place we could live.
Y1 · Stills
Close-up of a Sharpie signing a football on field turf
Year 1 athlete portrait, laughing on the Sharpie set
Athlete holding a Sharpie S-Gel pen up to camera
Year 1 rookies on the Sharpie step-and-repeat with pens and football
Athlete holding a freshly autographed Sharpie S-Gel
Athlete tossing a football with a Sharpie in hand
03. Year Two

The first signature is only the beginning.

From a moment to a legacy.

Year 1 made the signature a stage. Year 2 stretched it into a full rookie season. And reached back to the truth that the Sharpie has always been there. First autograph collected as a kid. First autograph signed as a pro. Same pen.

Sharpie S-Gel · "Rookie of the Year: Legacy" · Director's Cut
From getting my first autograph to giving my first autograph.
It's always been Sharpie. Campaign Line · Year 2
RB · Las Vegas
Ashton Jeanty
NFL First Round
WR · Carolina
Tetairoa McMillan
NFL First Round
Called It One of our rookies went on to win NFL Rookie of the Year. The campaign got there before the trophy did.
Move
Lifted the lens off the signing moment and onto the full rookie season. And the legacy behind it.
Territory
First autograph collected to first autograph given. The Sharpie has been in the kid's hand and the pro's hand the whole time.
Cohort
Two athletes, two cities, one rookie class. The franchise had a roster.
The Win
Proved repeatability. And one of ours actually became NFL Rookie of the Year.
Y2 · Stills
Overhead flat lay of Sharpie pens, helmets, cleats, jersey and a clipboard on field turf
Year 2 rookies in custom Sharpie jerseys posed on bleachers
Athlete in a Sharpie varsity jacket facing a press scrum of Sharpie-branded microphones
Athlete in Sharpie cap and varsity jacket surrounded by Sharpie-branded microphones and pens
Athlete at the Sharpie press desk in a Sharpie S-Gel varsity jacket
Athlete at the Sharpie press desk holding an S-Gel toward camera
Overhead shot of an athlete signing autographs at the Sharpie press desk
Results

A platform that compounded.

Year One proved the moment was ownable. Year Two proved the platform could carry weight at scale. With sales growth in a category that was shrinking.

1.36B

Total impressions across the Year 2 campaign. +61.3% year over year.

+1,611%

Lift in Sharpie S-Gel media mentions since the platform launched.

1,412

Total earned placements across consumer, sports and trade press. +53% YoY.

404M

Impressions delivered by Super Bowl Media Row alone. One activation, one weekend.

#1

Most talked-about non-league sponsor brand during Super Bowl week.

211K+

Likes on Sharpie-owned creative. +14% social audience growth since launch.

S-Gel grew sales in a category that was declining.

04. Year Three

Author your legend.

Before the legend, the reps.

Year 3 didn't push into the future. It went back. To the father who coached him. To the hours nobody saw. To the mental and physical reps that made the #3 overall pick possible long before any camera showed up.

RB · #3 Overall NFL Draft
Jeremiyah Love
Notre Dame · Creator of Jeremonstar
The Origin
A father coaching a son. The legend was forged at home, in repetition, long before the spotlight knew his name.
The Reps
Mental and physical. The work that doesn't make highlight reels. Until the highlight reels can't exist without it.
The Receipt
#3 overall pick, NFL Draft. The discipline showed up where everyone could see it.
The Truth
What you do every day defines who you become. A Sharpie is the receipt for the hours.
05. The Arc

A platform compounds.

Same truth, three different scales. Each year built on the last and made room for the next.

Year 1
Sign your future.
A rookie, a Sharpie, a moment. Proved the territory could carry a campaign.
Year 2
From first autograph to first autograph.
A full rookie season and the legacy behind it. Proved the platform could carry a franchise. And one of ours actually won ROTY.
Year 3
Before the legend, the reps.
An origin story. A father, a son, the hours nobody saw. Proved the platform could carry the truth underneath the trophy.

Year 1 was a spot. Year 2 was a season. Year 3 was an origin.