The objective of the campaign was to establish e.l.f. as a cultural power player by leveraging American cultural "institutions," developing a fully integrated Super Bowl marketing strategy that topped e.l.f.’s Big Game debut the previous year. Spotlighting its #1 selling product of 2023, Halo Glow Liquid Filter, e.l.f. reinforced the message that beauty belongs everywhere through the brand’s accessible beauty value proposition. For the second year in a row, e.l.f. disrupted traditional sports norms by boldly bringing beauty to the Big Game, cementing its leadership at the intersection of beauty and sports. As one of the first makeup brands to air a Super Bowl commercial, e.l.f. championed inclusivity and accessibility, welcoming every eye, lip, and face. This year, e.l.f. continued its legacy of casting iconic, relevant talent to create the “e.l.f. Court,” a courtroom of beloved characters who put expensive beauty on trial, because overspending on makeup is a crime. By delivering one of the most culturally relevant and buzzworthy moments of the year, the campaign celebrated the brand’s community while shaping culture.
The Judge Beauty campaign from e.l.f. Cosmetics was a strategic, multi-pronged creative plan brought to life as a courtroom drama. When ideating for e.l.f., we always think about ways to infiltrate and reimagine culture. So, we observed cultural trends, such as the record-breaking resurgence of Suits and the viral success of Jury Duty, and asked ourselves: Who could preside over the most glamorous court in the land? What if we cast Judge Judy, an American cultural icon, as Judge Beauty?
With courtroom drama dominating the zeitgeist, “Judge Beauty” emerged as the perfect creative platform to champion e.l.f.'s case for affordable, high-quality cosmetics—debunking the myth of overspending on beauty products and sentencing the world to radiant, $14 skin with its best-selling Halo Glow Liquid Filter.
Tapping into this cultural moment, e.l.f. assembled a head-turning, inclusive cast of beloved personalities from the legal drama space—like Judge Judy and the iconic Suits trio of Gina Torres, Rick Hoffman, and Sarah Rafferty—along with Jury Duty’s Ronald Gladden. They are joined by viral creators such as Benny Drama, beauty influencers, football player Emmanuel Acho, musician Meghan Trainor, and drag artist Heidi N Closet.
Further, by partnering with a renowned director, Zach Woods, known for humor and lightheartedness, e.l.f. delivered a campaign that resonated across demographics. To add an authentic touch, key editors were embedded as cast members, providing genuine, first-person reviews that bolstered the campaign’s credibility.
This campaign generated billions of earned impressions across ad trade, business, lifestyle, entertainment, and beauty media. With a four-pulse approach—featuring an ad buy and Zach Woods director announcement, partial cast teaser reveal, spot announcement rollout, and post-game success storytelling—e.l.f. sustained momentum and conversation around "Judge Beauty."
Each pulse thoughtfully deployed exclusives, broadcast features, executive thought leadership, podcast interviews, and over 25 talent interviews with e.l.f.’s multi-generational, diverse cast. This approach built anticipation leading up to the Big Game and kept audiences engaged well after the final play. Social media played a pivotal role, with influencers like Benny Drama guiding followers through the campaign and accounts like Beige Cardigan, Dudette with Sign, and FJerry amplifying its humorous and shareable content to spark widespread conversations.
Following the Big Game, e.l.f. doubled down on its momentum, leveraging talent to continue releasing supporting content for the three months after the campaign launched. This comprehensive strategy maximized visibility, ensuring "Judge Beauty" remained a cultural touchstone well beyond game day.
Judge Beauty shattered all previous brand benchmarks for e.l.f. and became a cultural phenomenon, reaching over 105 billion media impressions and dominating social feeds.
The campaign garnered widespread coverage across premier lifestyle, culture, beauty, and industry outlets such as AdWeek, Variety, and Entertainment Weekly, sparking an endless wave of social chatter. Celebrated by Ad Age, GLAAD, and others, “Judge Beauty” thrived because of its inclusive marketing, utilizing intergenerational casting and diverse demographics to deeply connect with both new and loyal audiences.
It achieved the highest relevance rating of any 2024 Super Bowl ad tested and earned a creative effectiveness score in the top 5% of the Ipsos database. According to Ipsos, the ad exemplified the effective use of celebrity power to support the brand's message, earning an exceptional Brand Attention Index Score of 145 (normal: 85–115). It also garnered 94% net positive sentiment among notable beauty brands (Sprout Social).
Post-launch, the results were equally remarkable: from Monday pre-Big Game to Sunday post-Big Game, e.l.f.’s website experienced a 148% surge in traffic, accompanied by a 50% increase in total sales. Additionally, there was positive reception from 75% of surveyed women, 67% of whom expressed interest in learning more about the brand.
