3 Secrets to Community Engagement From E.l.f. Beauty and Hartbeat

CANNES, France—On the surface, e.l.f. Beauty and Hartbeat—the entertainment company founded by comedian Kevin Hart—may appear to have little in common. But the two brands share an adeptness at building passionate communities of fans. 

“We create an orbit that people want to be part of. We transcend the products we sell,” said e.l.f. Beauty chief marketing officer Kory Marchisotto. “We listen to what [our community] tell us, and then feed it back to them through content that resonates emotionally.” 

Marchisotto was in conversation with Hartbeat chief executive officer Thai Randolph, and Adweek’s marketing and agencies editor Jameson Fleming at the Cannes Lions festival on Wednesday, sharing their secrets to building a strong brand and engaging fans. 

Prioritize diverse leadership

While many businesses are facing slowdowns amid rising inflation and economic turmoil, e.l.f. is seeing growth and momentum—reporting a 48% year-on-year increase in net sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.

Marchisotto partly attributed that success to having women and people from diverse backgrounds in senior leadership roles. E.l.f. is one of only four public companies in the U.S. with a board of directors comprised of at least two-thirds women and one-third minority groups.

“When you put women and diversity in the highest seats of decision-making power, you make magic happen,” she said. “This is how we deliver results time and time again.” 

Hartbeat also ensures that the audiences it speaks to are similarly “represented at the highest levels” of the business, with more than 70% of employees being people of color and more than 50% women, according to Randolph. 

“That composition future proofs us,” she added.

Listen to the community

At e.l.f., community is not just a marketing buzzword—its fans actually help steer business decisions. 

Marchisotto doesn’t just rely on market research or reports to guide the brand, but rather open conversations with consumers who buy e.l.f. products. 

She pointed to the example of e.l.f.’s Jelly Pop primer, which is infused with watermelon extract. After it was discontinued from the collection, the brand brought it back due to demand from fans on social media. 

Marchisotto learned why exactly consumers wanted Jelly Pop by hosting TikTok Live events in which she and the head of research and development could talk directly to fans. She then brought those insights to the chief financial officer, who greenlit the product launch. 

“Now you have our community in the boardroom,” Marchisotto said. “They are part of the journey—that is how we create emotional resonance.”

When Hartbeat creates content, it “puts [fans] in on the joke,” said Randolph. “We acknowledge their truth and build upon their experiences. Then you’re able to build something really meaningful—not just delivered to them but with and through them.”

Master the partnership

Unexpected brand partnerships are a marketing trend right now, but it takes a certain savviness to pull them off. 

Randolph said marketers are having to relearn how to collaborate with creators, especially amid the rise of branded entertainment. She called it “co-storytelling” and said they use the principles of improv in brand partnerships. 

“We invite [brands] into the sandbox. The rules are ‘yes and,’” she said. 

When e.l.f. looks to form partnerships, Marchisotto advised, “it all starts with being kindred spirits. You need to work with people who have a shared value system and set of beliefs.”

E.l.f.’s partnership with Chipotle certainly turned some heads in 2021. Though e.l.f. is a beauty brand and Chipotle is a food chain, the two found a common mission: “To take high quality ingredients and make it available to the masses,” Marchisotto recalled.

Some executives at e.l.f. initially questioned the collaboration, but the two brands drew inspiration from fan conversations on social media. The result was a Chipotle-themed makeup collection, including an eyeshadow palette with color shades inspired by burrito ingredients like salsa, guacamole and rice. 

The collection sold out in minutes—or, as Marchisotto put it, “We broke the internet.”