E.l.f. Cosmetics taps into overlooked gamer market with Twitch star Loserfruit

Dive Brief:

• E.l.f. Cosmetics has partnered with Kathleen Belsten, a popular Twitch gaming streamer and social media personality who goes by the name Loserfruit, or Lufu, according to a news release. With the tie-up, the marketer is looking to strengthen its position among Gen Z gamers.
• A social survey conducted by E.l.f. revealed 70% of its followers play video games, while 65% enjoy watching others stream gaming content. Lufu has the second-largest audience for a female gamer on Twitch, according to Lineups.com data cited by E.l.f., and commands roughly 8 million followers across various platforms, including TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
• E.l.f. and Lufu next year will launch e.l.f. U (University), an initiative that looks to support female gamers in “a male-dominated gaming world,” per the release. In working with a popular content creator, E.l.f. continues to advance its bets on emerging digital platforms — an approach that has paid off on apps like TikTok.

Dive Insight:

E.l.f. is angling to court more Gen Z consumers who either play video games or enjoy watching online content creators like Lufu do so, a strategy that could make its brand more distinctive in the beauty category while also breaking ground in a potentially overlooked market for cosmetic products.

Just as video games have typically been viewed as a male-skewing hobby, cosmetics brands have traditionally directed most of their outreach efforts toward women. But E.l.f.’s survey data show there’s high interest in gaming among its fans, and part of the new creator partnership will focus on introducing skincare and cosmetics products to male followers of Lufu as well. At the same time, E.l.f. is aiming to layer a purpose-driven element into its influencer marketing through e.l.f. U, an initiative intended to empower women in gaming who may be warded off by the space’s gender imbalance.

Working with high-profile content creators is one way that brands like E.l.f. can establish credibility with consumer groups that might otherwise not be receptive to marketing messages. Gen Z is broadly pinned as elusive to traditional media like TV and print, and tends to favor formats like streaming video and influencer marketing. Lufu, who built a reputation playing games like Fortnite, has immense reach online, standing as one of the top female gaming streamers on Twitch, while also being popular on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

With the news, E.l.f. continues to stake out territory on emerging digital platforms. The marketer is looking to make a mark on Twitch in the same fashion that it has on TikTok, the teen-favorite video app that has recently propelled its brand — an acronym for “eyes. lips. face.” — to viral success.

“Just as we jumped into the world of TikTok with original messaging and engagement with Gen Z, we are proud to be one of the first cosmetic and skincare companies to establish a unique presence on Twitch,” Kory Marchisotto, chief marketing officer at E.l.f. Beauty, said in a statement. “We are excited that our presence on Twitch is designed to uplift, empower, and grow a community of beauty enthusiasts.”

While Twitch sits at the center of the partnership, E.l.f. is working with Lufu elsewhere as well. The first piece of E.l.f. branded content shared by the creator is a YouTube video where she attempts to recreate a Fortnite skin in real life. In the video, which has over 180,000 views at press time, Lufu consults with E.l.f. makeup artist Anna Bynum on her look and discusses E.l.f.’s mission and products.

E.l.f. worked with LiveCraft, a gaming content specialist agency that is a subsidiary of Podean, and the esports consultancy eGen Esports to develop the campaign.