E.l.f. Cosmetics, Chipotle embrace buzzy digital channels for makeup collab
Dive Brief:
- E.l.f. Cosmetics and Chipotle Mexican Grill have teamed up to offer a limited-time menu item and a makeup collection inspired by the fast-casual chain’s burrito ingredients. The brands will offer the E.l.f. x Chipotle collection in its first shoppable video on the NTWRK app at 11 a.m. on March 10, though members of E.l.f.’s Beauty Squad loyalty program will have access to the products a day earlier, per an announcement.
- Drag queens Trixie Mattel and Kim Chi created the vegan “Eyes. Chips. Face” bowl, available March 10-17, and will appear on Mattel’s YouTube channel in a “makeup mukbang,” giving each other makeovers with the E.l.f. x Chipotle collection on March 10. E.l.f. also remixed its “Eyes. Lips. Face. (e.l.f.)” music track on TikTok to mention Chipotle.
- The marketing push is more comprehensive than for a previous effort from two brands. Along with the YouTube and TikTok activations, Kory Marchisotto, E.l.f.’s CMO, and Tressie Lieberman, Chipotle’s vice president of digital marketing and off-premise, will have a conversation about burritos, beauty and female empowerment on buzzy audio app Clubhouse. The chat will take place on March 8, International Women’s Day, at 4 p.m. ET in the “Disruptors” club.
Dive Insight:
Following a previous collaboration last year, E.l.f. and Chipotle this time around are running a more comprehensive campaign that sees the brands experimenting with a variety of buzzy digital channels to drive interest in a limited-edition menu item and makeup kit. The push includes shoppable video on NTWRK, an app that combines entertainment and shopping. The “makeup mukbang” is a spin on the viral trend that involves people watching videos of others eating, in this case on Trixie Mattel’s YouTube channel. The effort also includes a limited-time menu item, the remixed TikTok song and a Clubhouse chat.
The broader campaign can help both brands acquire new customers, especially younger consumers who make up their target audience. Last year, E.l.f. Cosmetics and Chipotle offered a makeup collection inspired by burrito ingredients, creating only 100 of the $54 makeup kits, which included a $15 coupon to Chipotle and quickly sold out.
Collaborations between cosmetics brands and restaurant chains are rare in the United States, but have been more common in China, Glossy reported. L’Oréal in December worked with KFC in China to promote a “milk tea” toner marketed by the beauty brand, while Fenty Beauty, Clarins, L’Oréal and Clinique have partnered with the tea chain Heytea on campaigns. In October, Maison Martin Margiela’s fragrance collaborated with beverage chain Seesaw Coffee, per Glossy.
Shoppable video like E.l.f.’s livestreamed offer on NTWRK is emerging as a more popular format to drive direct sales from viewers of digital video among consumers who are spending more time at home during the pandemic. Retailers and product brands are getting on board with the format, as seen with Walmart’s recent expansion of its Walmart Cookshop, the discount chain’s shoppable video hub for home cooks. Among Amazon’s shoppable video efforts, the e-commerce giant in December partnered with Tastemade on an online cooking show that let viewers buy ingredients from Amazon Fresh, its grocery delivery service.
E.l.f. and Chipotle have been among the first U.S. brands to embrace digital platforms like TikTok, Triller and Twitch in their efforts to reach younger consumers. By adding an event on Clubhouse, the brands are among early adopters of the invite-only audio chat app that is quickly gaining buzz as an emerging marketing platform. Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International last month hosted a call with company executives on the app.
Among its more recent campaigns on social platforms, E.l.f. in December debuted a five-song holiday album on Triller as the shopping season entered its final weeks. Before that, E.l.f. partnered with Twitch gaming streamer Kathleen Belsten on a campaign to support female gamers. A music challenge inspired by the E.l.f. name — an acronym of “Eyes. Lips. Face.” — spurred one of the most viral campaigns in TikTok history, leading to more than 5 million user-generated videos, according to a case study shared by partner agency Movers+Shakers.
The E.l.f. x Chipotle collection includes an eyeshadow palette, lip gloss, face sponge set and makeup bag at different price points. Customers who buy the eyeshadow palette will receive an offer for free chips and guacamole from Chipotle that expires on April 15. The vegan “Eyes. Chips. Face” bowl will be available at Chipotle locations March 10-17.
