crayola sideyard chalk press release
DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
Draws Up
1100 Church Lane, Easton, PA 18044-0431
www.crayola.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Julie Lando
Crayola
(610) 253-6272, ext. 4238
Crayola Introduces NEW Side YARD Chalk: A Product of Thinking OUTSIDE Of The Box
EASTON, PA –October 24, 2013 –Crayola is excited about its brand new product
coming out in February 2014: SIDE YARD CHALK! Now instead of being confined to
their sidewalks’ small cement rectangles, children will be able to dream, doodle and draw
all over the great outdoors (or at least all over their front and back yards). Side yard chalk
not only allows kids to color on sidewalks, driveways, cardboard boxes and paper bags it
also writes on grass surfaces. It is made up of Crayola’s famous Giant Sidewalk Chalk on
the outside, but infused with safe, sprayable field paint on the inside. All children have to
do is press the button on the side of Crayola Side Yard Chalk when they want to write on
any sort of field or yard. Each Crayola Side Yard Chalk set comes with six colors (White,
Black, Red, Orange, Yellow, Sky Blue and Purple). Each piece of chalk is 7 times the
size of regular sidewalk chalk (the same size as Crayola’s Giant Sidewalk Chalk!)
Executive Vice President Kip Olmstead, the person that leads Crayola’s Global
Marketing and Product Development thought up the idea of Crayola Side Yard Chalk
while watching his children play in his front yard. Olmstead lives in a small town home
located in the heart of the city. His twins wanted to use the new birthday present they
received from their friends: Giant Side Walk Chalk. However, because their drive way
was only big enough for the family’s two cars there was no room for them to draw. He
thought about how innovative and convenient it would be if his kids could color on the
lawn instead of his driveway.
After discussing his idea with his neighbors, Olmstead decided to present the idea to
Crayola’s CEO Mike Perry. After receiving the go-ahead, Olmstead designed and
implemented 50 focus groups that would study parent opinions regarding the possibility
of developing and marketing side yard chalk. At the end of the focus group
implementation and response analysis, Olmstead stated, “I think it is safe to say that an
overwhelming majority of focus group participants see Crayola’s prospective new
product Side Yard Chalk as substantially safer, more innovative and smarter than any
other outdoor product Crayola has ever developed”.
Suffice it to say, Mike Perry gave the product his full support and is extremely excited to
see the general public’s response when the product is finally featured in stores in
February 2014. Crayola Side Yard Chalk will be available in Target and Walmart stores
all over the United States as well as select Toys R Us stores. Finally the product will be
available online at amazon.com and crayolastore.com. The product is intended to only be
used by people ages 4 and up and will cost $29.99.
Mike Perry, Kip Olmstead and Crayola LLC as a whole are all thrilled about the new
implementation of Side Yard Chalk! It is their hope that that parents and children alike
greet Crayola’s new product with equal or exceeding enthusiasm.
About Crayola LLC
Crayola designs and produces supplies used by artists of all ages and kinds. The most
notable Crayola product is Crayola Crayons. Crayola is a brand known and sold
worldwide however the company is based in Easton, Pennsylvania.
For more information, visit www.crayola.com or call 1-800-CRAYOLA
###
1100 Church Lane, Easton, PA 18044-0431
www.crayola.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Julie Lando
Crayola
(610) 253-6272, ext. 4238
Crayola Side Yard Gets You Moving!
Easton, PA –October 24, 2013– Crayola Side Yard Chalk will not only allow children to
exercise their imagination, but it will also allow them to well, exercise. Because Crayola
Side Yard Chalk writes on grass, children will now be capable of actually re-creating
sports arenas in their own back yard. This means that kids will have the ability to easily
draw football fields, baseball fields, soccer field seven Quidditch field lines wherever
their hearts desire. Who knows, maybe kids will start using Crayola Side Yard Chalk to
create their own sports with unique field layouts.
With Crayola Side Yard Chalk, the possibilities are endless! Hop Scotch will no longer
be the only gaming avenue for outdoor chalk because with Crayola Side Yard Chalk,
the fear of landing on a hard concrete surface can be virtually eliminated. While Crayola
Side Yard chalk is still fully capable of drawing on side walks as well as driveways,
cardboard boxes and paper bags, those no longer have to be kids (and parents) only
option. Crayola is predicting that injuries resulting from playing with outdoor chalk will
go down substantially in that children will no longer be compelled to stay confined to
hard surfaces. Instead kids will venture out to front yards, back yards and neighborhood
fields.
Crayola Side Walk Chalk will be available to the public in Target, Walmart and Toys R
Us stores as well as Amazon.com and Crayolastore.com come February 2014. If
everything goes well, Crayola is considering developing a whole new line of field stencils
as well as kits that include field layout examples for common American sports such as
lacrosse, baseball and flag football. Crayola is open to the idea of taking the new sports
theme a step further by partnering with sport gear retailers or even by developing their
own sports gear (such as goals, bases, bats and balls).
It is easy to see just how many opportunities this Crayola Side Yard Chalk could create
not only for Crayola, but also for children and adults. This could revolutionize and
expand Crayola consumers and hopefully make Crayola products household names not
only among families but also among sports lovers of all shapes and sizes.
About Crayola LLC
Crayola designs and produces supplies used by artists of all ages and kinds. The most
notable Crayola product is Crayola Crayons. Crayola is a brand known and sold
worldwide however the company is based in Easton, Pennsylvania.
For more information, visit www.crayola.com or call 1-800-CRAYOLA
###
1100 Church Lane, Easton, PA 18044-0431
www.crayola.com
Artwork & Images
Aluminum Lining
Paint Button for Lefties Hollow Chalk
Center
Paint Button for Righties
Field Paint
Spray Hole
1100 Church Lane, Easton, PA 18044-0431
www.crayola.com
The History Of Crayola LLC
Meet Joseph Binney, Edwin Binney’s father also known as the man that started it
all- at least for Crayola. The year was 1864 and the place: New York. In this setting,
Joseph Binney began what would be Crayola’s legacy when he founded the Peekskill
Chemical Company, a business that specialized in producing black and red pigments for
industrial uses like coloring tires and barns.
Without Peekskill, cousins C. Harold Smith and Edwin Binney (Joseph Binney’s
son and the successor to Peekskill Chemical) would have never been inspired to found
their own company in 1885. Without Peekskill, Smith and Binney’s would have never
expanded their product line to include shoe polish and ink. Without Peekskill, the cousins
would have never been motivated to combat the needs of educational establishments or
produce pencils, dustless chalk and other school supplies. Finally, and most importantly
without their humble beginnings at Peekskill Chemical, Harold Smith and Edwin Binney
would have never produced Crayola’s most revolutionary product in all of it’s history:
the crayon.
The first eight pack of crayons that Smith and Binney produced in 1903 was a
result of their tireless effort and experimentation with nontoxic pigments intended to
color wax. Because of their wonderful work, the first box of crayons included the colors
green, black, blue, brown, orange, red, purple and yellow. These crayons sold for just .05
cents a pack.
After inventing their first pack of crayons, Smith and Binney needed some
assistance producing the crayons in bulk. More importantly, they needed a name for their
ground-breaking product. To aid production, the company hired local farm families to
assist with manufacturing. As for the crayons’ label, Binney’s wife (a teacher) coined the
name ‘Crayola’- a term resulting from the fusion of the two French words craie (meaning
‘a stick of color’) and ola (meaning ‘oily’)
One can only imagine how successful the company was from then on out.
Prosperity followed them around for decades and in 1936 the company founded the
Crayon, Watercolor and Craft Institute- an organization determined to bolster the idea of
safe art materials production. Crayola’s achievements just kept piling up in the years to
come. In 1949 the company released a 48-color crayon box, in 1958 a 64-color box with
the addition of a built in crayon sharpener and in 1962 Crayola added a new color, peach,
as a political statement that addressed skin color diversity.
In 1964 Binney and Smith’s company went international, adding plants in
Canada, England and Mexico. Today Crayola even has international sales and marketing
facilities in Italy as well as Australia. Expansion and growth have always been two of the
most important pillars of Crayola and in 1978 the company diversified their product line
to include washable markers. In 1992, they took the theme of diversity a step further by
adding a plethora of different skin tones to their long list of crayon colors. In 1993
Crayola celebrated 90 years of crayon production with the introduction of Crayola’s Big
Box of Crayons. This pack included Crayola’s 96th
new color. In 1996, the 100 billionth
crayon was produced. Finally, in 1997, Crayola rolled out the new Magic 3D Coloring
Book that came with CD-ROM computer package.
However in 1997 with great success came great controversy for Crayola. The
company closed their Kansas plants, uprooting many of their employees. They moved to
Easton, Pennsylvania per Hallmark’s request (Crayola is a major subsidiary of Hallmark)
where Crayola LLC opened a 20,000 square foot Crayola Factory. Crayola’s more recent
milestone occurred in 2003: the company’s 100 Anniversary.
This year though, Crayola turns 110 and the possibilities are endless! Crayola
never disappoints when it comes to creativity and invention and their latest products are
no exception. Keep an eye on Crayola and always remember to keep imagining.
Sources:
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6361/Smith-C-Harold.html
http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/crayons.htm
www.crayola.com
1100 Church Lane, Easton, PA 18044-0431
www.crayola.com
Biography Of Crayola’s Creators
While technically Crayola LLC came as a result of many creative minds, perhaps
the most notable creators of the Crayola brand are C. Harold Smith and Edwin Binney.
While it is obvious why Edwin Binney played a notable role in the rise of the company
Binney & Smith (he was the successor to his father’s company Peekskill Chemical), C.
Harold Smith’s involvement (and life) proves to be more of a mystery.
To shed some light Binney & Smith’s second half, let’s go back to the very
beginning. C. Harold Smith was born in London, England in 1860 (just six years before
his partner Binney was born in New York). As a teenager, Smith lived in New Zealand.
Then, in 1878, C. Harold Smith emigrated out of New Zealand and into the United States
where he became incredibly fascinated with the carbon industry. In fact, because C.
Harold Smith was so learned in the technical aspects of the carbon industry, he earned the
nickname “The Carbon King”.
However, his burgeoning interest and knowledge in the ways of machinery and
equipment did not stop him from having a social life and consequently romantic
relationships. He eventually married Paula Smith and with her, C. Harold Smith fathered
two children: Bertha B. Hillas and Sidney Smith. In 1885 Edwin Binney joined forces
with C. Harold Smith and together they turned Peekskill Chemical into their own newly
founded company Binney & Smith. In 1900, Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith moved
to New York City along with each of their families as a result of a change in office
location.
Another crucial event that took place in 1900 was Binney & Smith’s purchase in
Pennsylvania. The two bought a stone mill in order to produce slate for pencils more
quickly and efficiently. Though C. Harold Smith saw much of Crayola’s success (the first
eight pack of crayons that were produced in 1903 as well as the company’s decades of
prosperity even through The Great Depression), he unfortunately died in 1931 at 71 years
of age.
When people talk about the life and person of C. Harold Smith, they say that he
was quite an outgoing character. They describe how much he loved to travel and how he
used those trips to foster his ever-expanding passion for writing. They talk of his several
fictional and philosophical books regarding public interest. They speak of all the
friendships he had, both through business and leisure and if they run out of things to
converse about they consult the many legacies he left behind.
Before C. Harold Smith passed, he authored an autobiography. In addition, he
also made his mark with all of his philanthropic work. He was involved in several civic
organizations such as the Union League Club of New York, the Upton Club and the
Hudson River Club. He also held leadership roles in several organizations such as the
Columbia Carbon Company (where he served as Vice President), the L. Martin Company
(where he served as president), the Sebs Chemical Company (Where he also served as
President) as well as the Peerless Carbon Company (where he served as director).
It is clear by C. Harold Smith’s many accomplishments that he was a special,
innovative person. Though he is more remembered for his work with Crayola, there is no
doubt that C. Harold Smith was a man of many talents. Who knows, perhaps C. Harold
Smith and Edwin Binney served as some of the most creative minds in all of history.
Sources:
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6361/Smith-C-Harold.html
http://castle.eiu.edu/~wow/classes/fa03/ebhstimeline.html
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/crayons.html
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2009/07/crayola_ceo_mike_perry_draws_o.html
1100 Church Lane, Easton, PA 18044-0431
www.crayola.com
Fact Sheet
Overview:
Company Name: Crayola LLC
Product Name: Crayola Side Yard Chalk
Headquarters: Easton, Pennsylvania
CEO: Mike Perry
How Crayola Side Yard Chalk Works:
The outside layer of Crayola Side Yard Chalk is made up of Crayola’s Giant Side
Walk Chalk
Crayola Side Yard Chalk has a small hole at the top of the chalk that releases
spray field paint
Crayola Side Yard Chalk consists of a hollow version of Crayola’s Giant
Sidewalk chalk. The chalk’s hollow inside is lined with aluminum to ensure the
paint doesn’t erode the chalk.
A tube of colored, non permanent, safe sprayable field paint is present in the
inside the hollow inside of the Crayola’s Giant Sidewalk Chalk
This paint is released when a small button on the side of the chalk is pressed
This paint is made up of all natural ingredients to ensure that it does no damage to
the yard
This paint, like sidewalk chalk can be washed away with water
This allows Crayola Side Yard Chalk to be used both on sidewalks and grass
History:
In 1885, Binney & Smith expanded Binney’s father’s company Peekskill
Chemical and started creating Crayola’s first products
In 1903, Binney & Smith produced the first eight pack of non-toxic crayons from
non-toxic color pigments and wax
In 1958, Crayola rolled out a 64 color box of crayons including a built in
sharpener
From 1964-1974 Binney & Smith went international
In 1996, the 100 billionth crayon was produced, ColorJam 96 ceremonialized the
opening of The Crayola Factory and opening annual sales peaked at $524 million
In 2003, Crayola celebrated their 100th
anniversary
Achievements
In 1900, Binney & Smith won a medal at the St. Louis World Exhibit for their
dustless chalk
In 1981, Crayola topped $100 million in sales for the first time
In 1998, A vintage box of Crayola crayons was featured in a US Postal Service
stamp as part of the Postal Service’s Celebrate the Century stamp series
The Smithsonian institute recognized Crayola crayons by adding Crayola
products to their permanent collection.
Crayola remains the leader in the United States crayon industry with more than
50% and $130 million of the US crayon market
Contact Julie Lando Telephone: (610) 253-6272
Public Relations and Social Media Manager ext. 4238
Crayola LCC Website: www.crayola.com
Address: 1100 Church Lane, Easton, PA 18044-0431
1100 Church Lane, Easton, PA 18044-0431
www.crayola.com
Media List
Media List:
1. FamilyFun
Contact: Mary Giles, Executive Editor
Tel: (413) 585-0444
Email: [email protected]
2. Parenting Magazine
Contact: Lisa Bain, Executive Editor
Tel: (212) 522 8518
Email: [email protected]
3. Highlights For Children
Contact: Christine French Clark, Executive Editor
Tel: (570) 253-1080
Email: [email protected]
4. National Geographic Kids
Contact: Julie Agnone, Executive Editor
Tel: (202) 828 6651
Email: [email protected]
5. The Wall Street Journal- Arts & Entertainment
Contact: Edard Felsenthal, Editor in Chief
Tel: (212) 416-2173
Email: [email protected]
6. ABC Television Network- PrimeTime Live
Contact: David Sloan, Executive Producer
Tel: (212) 456-1596
Email: 2020@ abc.com
7. ABC Television Network- ABC’s College Football
Contact: Sheila Sitomer, Executive Producer
Tel: (212) 456-7777
Email: [email protected]
8. ABC Television Network- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Contact: Steve Joachim, Producer
Tel: (323) 785-2283
9. Fox NFL Sunday
Contact: Edward Goren, Executive Producer
Tel: (310) 969-6700
Email: [email protected]
10. NBC Television Network
Contact: Andrea Skipper, Producer
Tel: (212) 664-2392
Email: [email protected]
11. The Today Show-Weekend Edition
Contact: Alexandra Wallace, Executive Producer
Tel: (212) 664-2937
Email: [email protected]
12. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Contact: Stephanie Aaronson, Media Relations Senior Director
Tel: (703) 793-5021
Email: [email protected]
13. ESPN
Contact: Rob Tobias, Media Relations Senior Director
Tel: (860) 766-2000
Email: [email protected]
14. American Family Radio
Contact: Rick Robertson, Program Director
Tel: (662) 844 8888
Email: [email protected]
15. CBS Radio Network- Raising Our Kids
Contact: Pat Carroll, Program Director
Tel: (212) 975 2021
16. ESPN Radio Network- The NFL on ESPN Radio
Contact: Dave Zaslowsky, Executive Producer
Tel: (860) 766-4483
Email: [email protected]
Social Media
Crayola.com- The site comes out with an advergame in which children must get
involved interactively by drawing their own path with their mouse. Their cursor is a small
image of Crayola Side Yard Chalk and they go through many different scenes (fields,
concrete, parking lots etc.). They are trying to get to the end of the journey. They are
racing against competitors (either the computer or another player) to get to a box of
Crayola Side Yard Chalk. There are several levels that go up in difficulty, each with a
harder terrain to navigate than the one before.
Facebook- Crayola will put out a status asking fans to vote on their next product- a new
and improved version of Crayola Side Yard Chalk. They will be asked to “like” to vote
for new Glitter Crayola Side Yard, Chalk “share” for Glow in the Dark Crayola Side
Yard Chalk or “comment” for 3D Crayola Side Yard Chalk.
Pinterest- Parents and children will be asked to send in pictures of new games (and
fields) they invented and drew with Crayola Side Yard Chalk in their yards. They will
explain the games in the captions. These will be narrowed down to the best new games
and people.
Twitter-The link to the best new games on pinterest will be tweeted. Whichever game
(and inventor of the game) receives the most retweets will receive free Crayola Side Yard
Chalk for life and an all access pass to the Crayola Factory. They will also be featured in
their own commercial that will air on ESPN. In the commercial, they will layout the rules
and guidelines to their game.
1100 Church Lane, Easton, PA 18044-0431
www.crayola.com
Possible Story Ideas For The Media
News Ideas for Media (Headlines)
“Crayola Goes Back To The Drawing Board and Ends Up On The Grass”
“New Crayola Side Yard Chalk: It Draws On Everything”
“Step A-SIDE Walk: Introducing Crayola Side Yard Chalk”
“Crayola Partners With ESPN”
“Crayola Side Yard Chalk In Stores Valentine’s Day 2014”
“Crayola Focus Groups Say YES To Side Yard Chalk”
Image Suggestions for Media
Superbowl commercial:
o The Superbowl sports announcer comes on screen saying “want to be part
of the game, with Crayola Side Yard Chalk, you can!”
o Then it shows a bunch of neighborhood kids in the full Superbowl football
uniforms. The kids formed two opposing teams (the same as those playing
in the actual Superbowl) and they are about to play each other in their
backyards on a field they drew with Crayola Side Yard Chalk
o The annoucner asks people to vote on who they think won via Twitter at
the end of the spot
o Late commercial shows who won
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade TV commercial:
o Children are playing touch football in the yard when their grandfather
comes out of the house with new Crayola Side Yard Chalk. He tells them
to stop horsing around and go eat. He then draws a football field in the
yard. When the entire family comes out to play touch football, they are in
awe of his workmanship as well as the new Crayola Giant Side Yard
Chalk.
Magazine
o An ad will run in Highlights magazine (and other children oriented mags).
The ad will have simple, white background. Different colored crayons will
write out the message, “Imagination: Allowing Crayola to color
OUTSIDE the lines”. A picture of a piece of Crayola Giant Side Yard
Chalk will be drawn across a driveway and into a yard. The Crayola logo
in the bottom right corner.
Online Contest (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Crayola.com)
o One or more these sites will host a contest for a new revamped version
Crayola Side Yard Chalk
o Fan will vote on Glow in the Dark, Glitter, or 3D Sideyard chalk and the
product with the most votes will be developed and produced.
Online Contest (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Crayola.com)
o Kids will send in fields they created (their own sports games) and people
vote on the site for the best one- winner gets a prize