FANNING THE FLAMES OF FANDOM WITH E.L.F.
When e.l.f. fans spontaneously started turning empty Halo Glow bottles into giant DIY lip glosses, e.l.f. faced an exhilarating challenge: how to act at lightning speed and capitalize on a fan-ignited movement generating millions of views.
e.l.f. fans wanted to play and DIY their own personalized, customized lip gloss, and e.l.f. decided to give them exactly what they wanted. First through community engagement, then with participatory content, and then with moments of surprise and delight. Less than two weeks after the trend started, e.l.f. dropped an official DIY Halo Glow Lip Gloss Kit, which sold out in just 24 hours.
The result: 85 million organic views, 77k+ new followers, and fans praising that "e.l.f. always listens."
BRAND CHALLENGE
Every brand wants fans making content about them. But when it actually happens, how do you seize the opportunity, amplify virality, and maximize fandom?
That was the exhilarating challenge for e.l.f. when their fans started a playful new trend on social, turning empty Halo Glow bottles into giant DIY lip glosses. With this trend spreading like wildfire, e.l.f. had to jump into action, fan the flames of fandom, and turn a viral moment into a massive win.
CREATIVE SOLUTION
Moving at e.l.f. speed (think fast….but faster), e.l.f. jumped in with a three-step, high-octane strategy that transformed this viral moment into a full-blown community and product moment.
Step one: LISTEN. The team identified the fast-moving Giant Lip Gloss trend as having breakout potential and moved at lightning speed to own the conversation.
Step two: LEARN. e.l.f. created organic content to participate in the trend racking up 10 million organic views. e.l.f. continued to spin the fandom flywheel even faster, hosting their biggest TikTok Live ever and bringing in e.l.f. executives to join the fun. The community tuned in and was all abuzz.
Step three: LEAN IN. e.l.f. converted the hype into a real product by launching an official DIY Halo Glow Lip Gloss Kit. This created an urgent, must-have moment for their fans. The kit dropped just two weeks after that first viral video, and it sold out in just 24 hours.
This buzz translated directly into massive audience growth, with the brand gaining over 77,000 net new followers in just six weeks.
But the real victory wasn't just in the numbers, it was in the tidal wave of positive sentiment. Comments, DMs, and stitches from fans flooded social media, all reinforcing one powerful message: "e.l.f. always listens."
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