Dive Brief:

• E.l.f Cosmetics today launched a hashtag challenge on TikTok, according to press materials shared with Mobile Marketer. The #eyeslipface is the first branded hashtag challenge on the platform to feature an original song.
• The cosmetics company partnered with Brooklyn creative agency Movers+Shakers to turn its eponymous abbreviation — eyes, lips, face — into the song. The song was written and recorded by artist Holla FyeSixWun and Grammy-Award winning songwriter iLL Wayno.
• The hashtag challenge includes a one-day branded takeover of TikTok, along with additional media, influencer outreach and TikTok content creation. "This should kickstart us into having daily content on the platform," e.l.f. CMO Kory Marchisotto told Mobile Marketer.

Dive Insight:

With its #eyeslipsface campaign, e.l.f. shows one way the recent trend of brands embracing TikTok might go to the next step as marketers invest in creating musical content specifically for the platform.

The past few months have seen a number of brands partner with TikTok in an effort to reach younger consumers that have flocked to the social media app that has more than 500 million users worldwide. Other brands getting onboard include Walmart, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Uniqlo, Ralph Lauren and the NFL.

Creating music can help brands capture the attention of young consumers who are weary of being marketed to in traditional ways, a strategy that has been adopted by Mountain Dew, Dove, Oreo and Expensify, among other brands. By working with a creative agency alongside up-and-coming and award-winning artists, e.l.f. is getting in on the branded music trend and could get a boost by being the first brand that has created an original branded song to drive a viral challenge.

"This was all about e.l.f. harking back to its digital native roots and making sure we stay relentlessly focused on our audience and audience experience," said Marchisotto. The effort grew out of the brand's refresh campaign over the summer.

Prior to the campaign, e.l.f. found a high affinity on TikTok for the brand, such as an #elfcosmetics hashtag that had 3.5 million views, according to Marchisotto. After a successful test-and-learn process that cleared several benchmarks, the brand decided to team with TikTok in a larger way.

The metric for success on this campaign will be views, Marchisotto said, noting that recent TikTok hashtag challenges have numbers in the billions. From there, e.l.f. will look to build on the TikTok campaign as it delivers daily content on the platform.