Dive Brief:
- E.l.f. is partnering with the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge (BJKC), the women’s world cup of tennis, to further its brand commitment to women’s sports, according to a press release.
- The multi-year global partnership has E.l.f. as the exclusive skin and cosmetic partner of the tournament, which is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sports. E.l.f. will also serve as the co-host of the first-ever Power of Women’s Sports Summit.
- The cosmetics brand has signed on as a founding partner of iHeartMedia’s iHeart Women’s Sports Audio Network, an audio platform dedicated exclusively to women’s sports. Merging the two partnerships, E.l.f. will host a live recording of “The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast” at the summit.
Dive Insight:
E.l.f. is reaffirming its commitment to women’s empowerment through a new partnership centered around sports. The cosmetic company is working closely with not only an iconic international competition, but is taking advantage of the increased appetite for women’s sports coverage and content through the inaugural Power of Women’s Sports Summit and iHeartMedia partnerships.
A deeper connection to women’s sports could offer a strong pay-off for the marketer. Eighty-four percent of sports fans are interested in women’s sports, while only 15% of media coverage is dedicated to them, per release details. Despite the lack of media presence, women’s sports has seen massive growth over the past few years. In 2024, women’s sports is expected to bring in over $1 billion and reach new viewership highs.
Through its efforts, E.l.f. will serve as the exclusive skin and cosmetic partner at the BJKC in addition to serving as co-host for the Power of Women’s Sports Summit, which will bring 100 influential change makers in sports, business and entertainment together on a global stage.
As a founding partner of iHeartMedia’s recently launched iHeart Women’s Sports Audio Network, the brand has an opportunity to support the audio platform’s mission to amplify well-known and rising influential women athletes, including by hosting a live recording of “The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast” in the fan zone at the Power of Women’s Sports Summit.
Finals for the BJKC tournament will be held in Málaga, Spain from Nov. 13-20, while the Power of Women’s Sports Summit will be held Nov. 20. The BJKC was founded in 1963 as the Federation Cup and renamed for Billie Jean King in 2020.
The latest effort from E.l.f. expands on its involvement with tennis legend and equity advocate King. The cosmetics company in May launched a “Serving Facts” campaign which highlighted the brand’s partnership with the National Association of Corporate Boards to create a board accelerator program meant to train and create visibility for 20 women and/or diverse board-ready candidates.
E.l.f. has long focused on female empowerment, with movement and sports being a top consideration. Earlier this year, the marketer hosted a branded experience championing women race car drivers at the Indianapolis 500, building on the brand’s partnership with professional race car driver Katherine Legge. The brand also recently became an official partner of Hot Girl Walk, which encourages healthy movement among women.
In May, E.l.f. called for more diversity in U.S. corporate boardrooms with a campaign entitled “So Many Dicks,” an effort that Marketing Dive ranked as one of the top marketing campaigns from the first half of 2024.
