e.l.f Cosmetics’ “Eyes Lips Face” TikTok Campaign Breaks Global Engagement Records Leveraging Originally Created Music

e.l.f. Cosmetics last week launched its #eyeslipsface challenge which debuted with a one-day takeover of the TikTok platform. In collaboration with Brooklyn creative agency Movers+Shakers, the pair partnered with up-and-coming artist Holla FyeSixWun and Grammy-Award winning songwriter iLL Wayno to pen a catchy jingle that would engage the over-500 million global TikTok users.

The record, which now has over 2 million plays on Spotify, has helped the campaign garner over 1 million organic user-generated videos, resulting in over 2.5 billion impressions, making it the most successful brand campaign within TikTok globally. To discuss how this campaign came together, I sat down with Evan Horowitz, CEO of Movers + Shakers to break down the program’s life cycle and how other brands and artists can leverage TikTok within their marketing mix.

e.l.f. Cosmetics became the first brand to launch a branded hashtag challenge with its #eyeslipsface program. Walk us through how you and e.l.f. Cosmetics connected and mapped out the creative for the campaign?

e.l.f. is always looking for innovative ways to connect with their customers, and they love Movers+Shakers’ “superpower” of using original music and dance to spread joy. We identified TikTok as a great platform for our first collaboration, because it leverages Movers+Shakers’ deep knowledge of music and culture. After considering several campaign ideas, we decided on the #eyeslipsface hashtag challenge. This bring’s e.l.f.’s core brand position to life: “e.l.f. is for every eye, lip and face.” We set a goal of getting all of TikTok dancing to “eyes, lips, face.” To make this happen, we knew we wanted an original song with a fresh sound that TikTokers would love, and that would tee up a compelling challenge.

You also tapped Holla FyeSixWun and iLL Wayno for the brand campaign song. How did you end up choosing them for the campaign?

Movers+Shakers has a unique process to help brands identify the best musical sound for a campaign. We want music and lyrics that express the brand personality, and that will resonate with the target consumers. As part of the process, Movers+Shakers hired a handful of artists who work in the relevant musical space to create demos. After working with the brand and the artists, we selected iLL Wayno and Holla FyeSixWun to create the “Eyes. Lips. Face.” song. We loved their sound and were confident Gen Z would love them as well. The lyrics that we created express the positivity, inclusiveness, and attitude of the e.l.f. brand.

The song was such a huge hit that we expanded it from the initial 15-second TikTok track, to full song. We released the song on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms. It quickly passed a million streams, and as of today is streaming about 100k/day. It’s being played in clubs and attracted the attention of several record labels.

The challenge was viewed over one billion times and garnered more than 400,000 participation videos. What do you think made this campaign so successful?

Now we’re at 2.7 billion views and 1.5 million participation videos. The music is a huge part of it. The song is super catchy, and it also tees up a really fun TikTok trend. We carefully crafted each of the 15 seconds to guide the creator through doing their challenge video. People love creating them, and people love watching others’ videos! We’ve also been blessed with a lot of great PR buzz, as well as celebrities like Reese Witherspoon joining totally organically!

How would you advise other brands to leverage TikTok within their marketing mix?

It’s critical to enter TikTok in a way that fits the TikTok culture. In many ways, it’s the opposite of Instagram. Brands that are sensitive to this, and flex their brand expression to fit, are received very well on TikTok! A lot of brands are engaging Movers+Shakers to help them evaluate and develop their entry strategies on TikTok, since it is such a unique platform. The opportunity is incredible in the coming months to be on the ground floor. A year from now, TikTok will be crowded with brands, but right now it’s an open field.

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About the Author

Clayton Durant Clayton Durant is the founder and CEO of CAD Management, an entertainment consulting company that focuses on event, tour, and strategic management for indie artists and brands. Email him at [email protected] to connect.