E.l.f. Beauty CMO Kory Marchisotto on the brand’s second Super Bowl ad, starring Judge Judy

Last year, E.l.f. Beauty made a splash, literally, casting Jennifer Coolidge as a dolphin for its first-ever Super Bowl commercial. This year, the brand is back for more, running a national commercial instead of a regional ad and enlisting a stacked cast. It includes Judge Judy, AKA, Judith Sheindlin; Meghan Trainor; Benito Skinner, known to his online community as BennyDrama; “Suits” stars Gina Torres, Rick Hoffman and Sarah Rafferty; “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Heidi N Closet; and “Jury Duty” star Ronald Gladden, among others.

The commercial plays with the idea of being sentenced to glowy skin with the use of E.l.f. Beauty’s hero product — its $14 Halo Glow Liquid Filter — after overpaying for pricy makeup. Halo Glow was the brand’s best-seller in 2023. This ad comes on the heels of the brand’s recent short film, “Cosmetic Criminals,” which also riffed on the popularity of true crime.

The genesis for the ad was E.l.f.’s community, like everything the brand does, said CMO Kory Marchisotto. “Every piece of content we put out is a universal truth that has come directly from our community.” In this case, the starting point was the community’s love for Halo Glow, specifically its ability to provide “exceptionally glowy skin” at an affordable price point, Marchisotto said. E.l.f. customers’ current obsession with shows like “Suits” and “Jury Duty” was the other driving factor. In 2023, “Suits” broke streaming records set by “The Office,” becoming the most-streamed show ever.

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