E.l.f. Cosmetics leans into The Weather Channel data for its holiday campaign
A new e.l.f. Cosmetics campaign turns pop star Meghan Trainor into a weather reporter.
BigThink
At first glance, a beauty brand partnering with The Weather Channel seems odd. Yet eight out of 10 women change their personal care or beauty routine with the weather, according to a survey by IBM, The Weather Channel’s parent company.
“It’s pretty astounding when you stop and consider the impact of weather — how it can influence so many of our decisions and behaviors, including our cosmetics routine,” Randi Stipes, IBM’s VP of brand marketing and chief marketing officer of IBM Watson Advertising and The Weather Company, said in a statement.
E.l.f. Cosmetics is leaning into this data for a new holiday campaign that announces the restock of the brand’s Halo Glow Liquid Filter, a skincare-makeup hybrid that hydrates skin and boosts complexion. The product has a strong following on TikTok, with the hashtag #elfhaloglowliquidfilter reaching almost 52 million views. (For reference, the rival Flawless Filter from Charlotte Tilbury has around 13 million views.)
To announce the Dec. 8 restock, e.l.f. is aiming to reach Gen Z and Millennials by casting pop star Meghan Trainor as a weather reporter delivering a beauty-centric weather report of an incoming “glow day.” The brand is taking an upper-funnel approach, according to Patrick O'Keefe VP of integrated marketing communications at e.l.f.
Trainor’s song “Made You Look” from her latest album, and its dance, have gone viral on TikTok.
“We thought of the Halo Glow as this viral sellout that ‘took the nation by storm,’” said Brian Vaughan, executive creative director and partner at Shadow, e.l.f.’s creative agency. “It had to culminate in a glow storm. We know the idea is a bit kooky and comedic, so we needed someone to carry that narrative. Meghan has those acting and comedy chops, plus her personal style and aesthetic fit with the glowy, shiny universe we thought of around Halo Glow.”
The videos will be posted on Trainor’s TikTok and e.l.f.’s social media channels. The brand also plans to have an IRL component featuring a custom-wrapped snow plow in New York on Dec. 13 and 14.
