Dive Brief:
- E.l.f. Beauty today (Oct. 28) launched a global campaign entitled “Give an e.l.f.” that highlights its fourth annual Impact Report and challenges consumers to fuel their own sense of purpose, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
- Campaign creative includes the call-to-action “What do you give an e.l.f. (F#@&) about?” and will span social, digital, out-of-home, including over 40 digital screens in Moynihan Train Hall at New York’s Penn Station, and print, including a two-page spread in the New York Times on Nov. 2.
- The brand is also hosting an experience Oct. 28 in New York City inviting the public to “give an e.l.f.” in exchange for E.l.f. products. The marketer’s latest Impact Report highlights its achievements across areas including culture, innovation, campaigns and the environment.
Dive Insight:
E.l.f. is again amplifying its longstanding commitment to purpose-driven values — and asking the community to get on board — with the launch of its latest campaign. The effort is timed to the release of its fourth annual Impact Report, which details achievements including the donation of over $2.5 million, or at least 2% of the prior year’s profits, to causes that align with the company’s values, spanning boardroom diversity, animal welfare, disaster relief and more.
“Our commitment to show up as bold disruptors with kind hearts has been unwavering throughout the company’s 21-year history,” said Tarang Amin, chairman and CEO, e.l.f. Beauty, in release details. “It guides how we operate each day and why we make every one of our choices as a purpose-led, results-driven company.”
E.l.f.’s campaign turns the focus over to consumers, challenging them to identify the causes they “give an e.l.f.” about. The effort, made with creative agency Case, includes a 45-second spot featuring brand partners like tennis icon Billie Jean King, astronaut and activist Amanda Nguyen and race car driver Katherine Legge highlighting the causes they care about.
The brand is hosting an activation today (Oct. 28) at 410 Lafayette Street in New York City, inviting the public to visit a custom kiosk and select a cause they care about. In exchange, E.l.f. will make a donation to a nonprofit organization focused on that cause. Participants will receive a printed receipt confirming the donation, and can use the receipt to score free E.l.f. products.
The effort from E.l.f. arrives at a time where values like inclusion have begun to fall to the backburner for a number of brands amid a tense macroeconomic environment. Other highlights of its Impact Report include that over 140 business leaders, nonprofits and peer companies have joined its Change the Boardroom coalition dedicated to more accessible boardrooms, and that, in an effort to maximize affordability, 75% of E.l.f. Cosmetics products are $10 and under.
Additionally, 73% of E.l.f. Beauty brand’s products are made in Fair Trade Certified facilities and 100% of its cosmetic brushes’ wood handles now use Forest Stewardship Council certified wood. E.l.f. has also achieved a 33% reduction in packaging intensity in its fiscal year 2025 versus a 2019 baseline, exceeding a goal for a 20% reduction by 2030.
E.l.f has long made its purpose-driven values a fixture within its marketing efforts. This time last year, the company launched a campaign entitled “Dupe That!” inviting other companies to join its efforts in making a positive impact. In May 2024, E.l.f. launched “So Many Dicks,” a campaign calling for more diversity in U.S. corporate boardrooms. E.l.f. in its first quarter of fiscal year 2026, the three month period that ended June 30, delivered its 26th consecutive quarter of net sales growth.
