Latinas are the unsung heroes of the cosmetics industry: they spend 77% more than the general population on cosmetics, and over 60% wear more than 9 makeup products regularly. Latinas significantly over-index on purchasing virtually every makeup product.
But despite being passionate beauty enthusiasts, Latinas, and especially Afro-Latinas, are overlooked in beauty advertising. In fact, only 35% of Hispanics say that they are seeing more beauty brands or products for people of color, and only 34% feel that the beauty and personal care industry is becoming more inclusive.
At e.l.f., we stand with every eye, lip, and face (get it? e.l.f. = eyes. lips. face.). We wanted to pay homage to all the eyes, lips, and faces that make up the Latin community. But to literally and figuratively reach this audience, we needed to do it on their own terms and in their own language. So we partnered with Colombian superstar Manuel Turizo to write an original Spanish-language song celebrating Latin women, and the power of their “ojos. labios. cara.” (eyes. lips. face.)
The project came to life in a music video, which we released on YouTube, and the song itself, which we released across music streaming platforms. We measured our success based on two criteria–video views, and online streams.
Despite being created for a specific audience, the results blew all existing e.l.f. records out of the water, with views higher than 99.99% of YouTube videos, and a coveted place on Spotify’s “Hottest of the Week” playlist.
We started with a simple insight–that your ojos, labios, y cara can say more than a thousand words ever could. Anyone who has ever been on the other end of a withering glare, a come-hither smolder, or pleading eyes, knows how true this is.
And no one knows this truth better than Latina women, who have perfected the art of using their eyes, lips, and face as a tool for self-expression. Latin makeup isn’t shy. The wingtips are anything but subtle. The bold lip is anything but quiet. And the powerful look is anything but minimalist. Bold looks, like the iconic Pachuca makeup aesthetic, have long been a loud political statement for Latina women in a society that would sometimes prefer to silence them.
So we had Manuel Turizo write a love letter to the power of all the eyes, lips, and faces of the Latin Community: “ojos. labios. cara.” The song is about the volumes these features can speak without saying a single word. Manuel’s passion for his community, and his outspoken advocacy on women’s issues made him the perfect fit for this project. Not to mention his popularity within the community, with over 5 platinum hits on the Latin Billboard charts and over 20 million followers across TikTok and Instagram.
The music video pays homage to the Pachuca style and all the Mexican American women who rebelled against what society expected them to look like. This look is more than a makeup aesthetic – it’s a visual representation of the female struggle and rebellion against the patriarchy.
From the looks – zoot suits, stop sign red lips, and extra sharp winged-eyeliner – to the attitude, the music video was a celebration of Latina beauty, history and heritage. Everything – the casting, crew, styling, talent, hair, makeup – was gorgeously and unapologetically Latin. We were committed to do it right, that’s why we partnered with some of the most influential Latin artists in the industry: Cultura, choreographer of the video, Juliana Gonzalez, makeup artist, and Chino Castilla, stylist, just to name a few.
We were also able to work with and learn some of the most – if not the most – cutting edge technology in film. We shot the video on the largest 360 XR screen in the world, which required an especially complex choreography of not just the dancers but the entire crew and camera (We’re not going to hide the fact that this was very challenging, but also extremely fun!) Set design was built in immersive 3D, and lighting was generated within digital scenes. We basically pioneered an approach within the agency that is poised to explode in usage.
We made a music video because music and makeup go hand in hand. Just look at the popularity of “Get Ready With Me” videos to understand what we mean. For every ojo, labio y cara, there’s a GRWM soundtrack. Just about every winged eye, lip stain and base layer is created to the backdrop of banging beats.
The campaign was a huge success, and it really resonated with the Latin community. “ojos. labios. cara.” became Manuel’s biggest solo hit of 2023, and earned a feature on Spotify’s “Hottest of the Week”.
The music video got over 12 million views on YouTube alone, performing 2.5x better than any e.l.f. video on the platform. That’s more than 99.99% of most YouTube videos, including many from brands with budgets much larger than ours. And the sentiment for the campaign was virtually 100% positive, which never happens on the internet. The top emotions associated with our content were “love,” “joy,” and “trust,” indicating our audience didn’t just enjoy the content, but also felt more connected to the brand. We even got comments from our audience thanking the brand for shining a spotlight on Latin beauty and self-expression.
But the effects were felt far beyond YouTube. The song had over 300 million cross-platform views and plays in just the first month of its release. In fact, it made an impact outside the music world altogether, and is now even being considered as future Latin Studies curriculum material at the University of Southern California.
But most notably, and although this was not our goal at the outset, we also received a welcome bonus result of 76% purchase intent among our target Latin audience.
It all goes to show we were able to connect with the Latin community right in their emotional core. But most importantly, we were able to make them feel seen.
