With Holiday 2022 on the brink, SHADOW set out to create a 360° digital-first campaign that would continue to surpass the bar that the #1 Gen Z brand, e.l.f. Cosmetics, continues to set for itself. It just so happened to coincide with an upcoming restock of its mega-viral sellout product - Halo Glow Liquid Filter, which had accumulated a 75,000 waitlist.
To announce this highly anticipated restock and market the brand’s collection of holiday glow products, we partnered with the original authority in weather, The Weather Channel, and GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Meghan Trainor, to share the breaking news of an impending e.l.f.ing glow storm engulfing the nation.
Powered by a singular insight from The Weather Channel — “8 out of 10 women change their beauty routines with the weather” — we let the masses know: no matter the weather, wherever you are, it can always be a 100% chance of glow.
We ideated and executed the campaign from start-to-finish in two weeks, leading up talent casting, creative direction, scripting, content production, motion design, social strategy, PR strategy, paid media integrations spanning social, digital and OOH, and two days of an IRL guerilla stunt in New York City.
Key elements that brought the program to life include:
Teaser Content Kick Off: To kick-off the campaign, we secured the ultimate beauty-minded newscaster, Meghan Trainor, to deliver a “special radiance report” in a Los Angeles shoot. The morning of December 8th she posted a teaser of the glowcast, pushing followers to e.l.f.’s TikTok to view the full radiance report and to the brand’s website to “shop the glow storm”.
Episodic Content Release: Throughout the morning of December 8th, e.l.f. released the radiance report in episodes, keeping viewers tuned in for what was to come. The full glowcast was also available on YouTube.
E-commerce Merchandising: We created custom “Glowcast Bundles” and an “all-over-glow” shopping page so users could shop all the products in the glow storm and achieve 100% chance of glow.
Strategic Media Partnership: We leveraged an integrated media buy with The Weather Channel to create dynamic marquee creative within The Weather Channel app that changed with the weather. The media strategy also included Digital Out of Home placements across the country with dynamic creative that also changed with the weather to display the Halo Glow Collection and various taglines including: 100% Chance of Glow, Exercise Extreme Iridescence, and We’re in for a Glow Day.
Experiential Stunt: As a culmination to the glow storm…it was only proper to treat everyone to a glow day. On December 13th and 14th, we fabricated an iridescent Glow Plow alongside a mobile LED Beauty Doppler Glow Storm Truck, which made surprise-and-delight deliveries to over 20 editors and influencers, and over 1000 consumers throughout the boroughs of New York City. Attendees were given details on the Halo Glow restock, and gifted full-size glow-inducing products so they could enjoy their very own Glow Day.
Despite the success of the campaign, no program comes without its set of challenges. The project was executed in just two weeks; while a multi-faceted program with a tight timeline was certainly challenging, e.l.f. Cosmetics is celebrated for working at “e.l.f. speed” yet never sacrificing innovation or quality along the way. These quick turn projects often are the most successful and rewarding, and as the brand’s partner, we love being in their SHADOW at an exciting pace. They truly are a decisive team of visionaries who trusted us to deliver this dream campaign in record time.
The campaign results exceeded the brand’s objectives – creating a national moment that was celebrated among editors, influencers and consumers alike.
Key results included:
Over 5 Billion earned media impressions across beauty, entertainment, trade and commerce verticals, with feature stories in Adweek, Ad Age, People, Glossy, Nylon and Elite Daily, among others
Over 10 Million video views in the first week
e.l.f. Cosmetics experienced a +3268% increase in web traffic in the first week
Over 1000 Glow Bundles distributed in New York City during the on-the-streets experiential stunt
Overwhelming positive consumer sentiment and social engagement
