e.l.f. Cosmetics is returning to the Super Bowl, after a successful regional debut last season, as one of the first-ever beauty brands to advertise during the big game.
This year, the company has brought back Meghan Trainor (who starred in last year’s ad) and also tapped the cast of Suits, several stars from Ru Paul’s Drag Race and Judge Judy (her first-ever commercial). The ad is a courtroom spoof in which overpriced cosmetics are on trial.
“Last year was really focused on one main star, but we knew that we wanted to take more of an ensemble cast approach,” said Liza Suloti, co-founder/chief communications officer at Shadow, the agency behind the campaign. “When we landed on Judge Beauty, we couldn’t imagine anyone better suited to play that role than Judge Judy. She actually shared with us on set that this was on her bucket list, to one day do a Super Bowl spot. All the stars aligned.”
e.l.f.’s $14 Halo Glow Liquid Filter – the brand’s best selling product of 2023 with 1 sold every 4 seconds– is the key product featured in the spot. But the spot also plays up e.l.f.’s overall values – high quality for low prices, cruelty-free products and diversity – within the script.
“We wanted to anchor this around the brand values,” said Suloti. “We wanted to fight against the injustice of overpriced makeup and as a brand that delivers amazing products at an accessible price.”
Last year, the brand ran their biggest campaign ever with a regional Super Bowl buy and saw success in this approach, said Suloti. “That just exploded everything from sentiment around the brand to social engagement,” she added. “The fact is that beauty does not really play a big role at the Super Bowl. But e.l.f. really believes that beauty belongs everywhere, on every stage. Thinking about the fact that there’s 115 million viewers and nearly 50% of them are women, we’re like, that audience is there.”
This year, the brand is going bigger with a :60 spot and a national media buy. “A huge percentage of the viewership is there for the entertainment –the commercials, the halftime show– and there’s no bigger stage,” said Suloti. “With a national spot, we went bigger with our cast, we went bigger with our concept, we went bigger with having a :60 campaign.”
