Dive Brief:

• E.l.f. is the first official beauty partner of Hot Girl Walk, a fitness organization which encourages movement among women, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
• To mark the partnership, the cosmetics company released a two-minute video meant to parody the look and feel of televised sports competitions. Olympian Gabby Douglas and actor Patrick Warburton serve as sportscasters in the clip, giving a play-by-play commentary of three different walkers as they compete.
• The parody, developed in partnership with agency Movers+Shakers, incorporates a popular TikTok trend while also tapping into Olympic hype. The “Hot Girl Walk Championship” parody seeks to further establish E.l.f. as an entertainment brand.

Dive Insight:

E.l.f is embracing a social media trend to promote its Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray with a parody done in the style of a sportscast. Douglas and Warburton sit side-by-side in a creative clip which not only touches on so-called “hot girl walks,” but also leans into Olympic excitement. The parody is accompanied by a new sponsorship and product bundle as the company looks to cement its bona fides as an entertainment brand.

“The genesis of the Hot Girl Walk Championship is two-fold: first, there was an insight that our community and even our e.l.f. employees are gripped by group walks and second, our community is raving about the incredible makeup-gripping and staying power of Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray,” said Chief Brand Officer Laurie Lam in a statement.

Hot Girl Walks are typically four miles long and are meant to help participants focus on mindfulness. The parody shows challenges such walkers face, such as leaf blowers, with Douglas and Warburton providing coverage in the style of a sports broadcast. The winner of the “championship” used Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray to set their makeup prior to starting the walk. Creator and founder of Hot Girl Walk Mia Lind makes a cameo as a judge.

To tie the parody to real-life activations, the cosmetics company next month will sponsor a Hot Girl Walk event in Miami. The event will coincide with the release of a Snapchat lens which furthers the brand’s efforts on mobile channels. E.l.f has long leaned into digital trends to reach younger consumers, recently launching a real-world commerce experience with Roblox, a gaming platform popular with young consumers.

E.l.f. last month continued its push into entertainment-led marketing, particularly within digital and TV, with an Animal Planet-style ad starring British actress and activist Jameela Jamil. The company increased marketing spending to 25% of net sales in fiscal 2024, a heavy investment that has helped the brand attract young consumers and grow sales.