e.l.f. Cosmetics went all-in on TikTok at a time few brands had touched the platform. We ignored conventional wisdom and became the first brand to create an original branded song for our challenge. With our influencer strategy, e.l.f. again departed from existing best practice--strategically recruiting influencers who had never purchased beauty products, including comedians and dancers. We therefore attracted a wider audience participating in the challenge, and that led to an even bigger snowball of participation, from beauty-lovers and newbies alike. The challenge became so cool that mega influencers and celebrities joined unsolicited, including Ellen DeGeneres, Lizzo and Reese Witherspoon.

e.l.f. had been on an unbelievable growth trajectory but hit a wall in 2018 as the company evolved to a more mature position. In 2019, they went back to their digital-native roots and recharged the brand, unleashed a fresh expression, and started an ambitious campaign to reignite sales and develop a deeper cultural connection with Gen Z.

At that time, an emerging platform (TikTok) was extremely popular among Gen Z. We went all-in, launching a TikTok campaign when few brands had touched the platform. We had to figure out how to market authentically on TikTok. We weren’t just creating another marketing campaign; we were trying to engage TikTokers to inspire participation, and communicate e.l.f.’s core brand positioning: “e.l.f. is for every eye, lip and face.” The goal was to create a truly viral sensation, with an audacious vision to pass 1 billion views and generate a ton of earned media.

We saw that TikTokers already had strong affinity for e.l.f., with #elfcosmetics exceeding 3 million views on TikTok before the brand started marketing on the platform. To engage this audience in a native way, we carefully studied the top trends on TikTok and found that music and simple storytelling were key drivers of virality.

Most people didn't know e.l.f. is an acronym for “eyes. lips. face.” So we set the goal of getting ALL of TikTok dancing to “eyes, lips and face.” To do so, we decided to be the first brand to ever create an original song for a TikTok challenge (going against the common wisdom of the time) -- and sought to write a brand anthem that Gen Z would LOVE to dance to.

The overall goal was to reach Gen Z, a generation that wasn’t as familiar with e.l.f. Cosmetics. At the time, Gen Z was hanging out on an emerging app called TikTok. We decided to meet them where they already were.

We found that Gen Z hates ads, but they love brands, and they love to engage with brands in fun, authentic ways. So that’s how we approached our campaign. To kick it off, we strategically picked top influencers across different verticals, genders, and backgrounds to showcase the brand’s inclusivity, and drive home their message of being for “every eye lip and face” - and to authentically speak to Gen Z.

What started on TikTok, quickly moved off app to Spotify, Apple Music, Vevo and beyond because we listened to our audience and remained agile, pivoting our strategy to maximize engagement, relevance and brand love.

With our original song, we wanted to express e.l.f.’s brand message (inclusivity, positivity, and self-expression) through music. We collaborated with up-and-coming artists to compose a very on-trend track that strategically architected an engaging TikTok challenge.

As soon the #eyeslipsface challenge launched, participation started to snowball. Many TikTokers commented, “where’s the full song?” So within a week, we expanded the 15 seconds and launched the song on Spotify & Apple Music. DJs played our brand anthem on the radio and at nightclubs!

As the song’s popularity grew, we inked a partnership with Republic Records (home to Drake & Taylor Swift) to create an official music video.

When COVID hit, e.l.f. identified an opportunity to use the beloved song to drive safe hygiene with Gen Z. We remixed the song into a public service announcement called “Eyes. Lips. Face. Safe.” and further expanded the life of the TikTok campaign.

#eyeslipsface became the fastest TikTok challenge to pass 1 billion views, and the first ad to ever earn TikTok’s #1 trend spot. It became the biggest TokTok brand challenge in history, exceeding 5 million user-generated videos, and 7 BILLION views. e.l.f.’s anthem hit #4 on Spotify’s global viral chart.

Unsolicited celebrities joined, including Ellen Degeneres, Lizzo, Reese Witherspoon, and Kevin Hart. Consumers worldwide commented, “I never knew e.l.f. stood for eyes lips face!”

e.l.f.’s Q3 sales rose 8% and e.l.f. moved from #4 to #2 Favorite Teen Brand (Piper Sandler) -- financial news outlets cited TikTok as key driver of revenue growth and earning cult status with Gen Z. Earned media passed 2 billion impressions and even today, nearly every article about TikTok marketing mentions e.l.f.

e.l.f.’s campaign became the standard playbook for other brands seeking their own virality. We didn’t just create a marketing campaign, we created a movement.