While viewership of women’s sports is on the rise thanks to stars like Caitlin Clark, Simone Biles, and Coco Gauff, female athletes only receive 10% of sponsorship dollars -- impacting the access to training, equipment, and exposure that help amplify their male counterparts’ success. As a beauty brand known for its innovative spirit, its values of inclusivity and accessibility, and its commitment to empowering women to claim their place in any field, e.l.f. saw an opportunity to make a bold move in one of the most male-dominated arenas there is: motorsport.
Rich in history, the Indy 500 is the pinnacle of racing excellence in the United States. However, in its 108-year history, the Indy 500 has only seen nine women race. With interest in the sport at an all-time high and a growing female fanbase, e.l.f. established a strategic sponsorship with Katherine Legge - the only female competitor taking part in the 2024 Indy 500, allowed the brand to not only support a talented driver, but to send a message to all women and girls that they belong on the track and in the stands.
While no beauty brand had ever attempted to show up in such full force at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, our goal was to to increase awareness of e.l.f.’s mission to “Empower Legendary Females” and drive change in women’s sports, champion Katherine Legge and the female drivers before her, and reach a new consumer base.
e.l.f. went all in as the first beauty brand to ever take the lead as a primary sponsor at the Indy 500, debuting a striking pink and red car, along with fan activations that redefined what a day at the racetrack could be. It wasn’t just about visibility; it was about creating an undeniable presence, showing that women have a place at the heart of motorsport.
We created the e.l.f. Lip Oil Change, a campaign inspired by our mission to drive change in women’s sports and spotlight our holy grail Glow Reviver Lip Oil product, and elevate our message of Empowering Legendary Females with an experiential activation, social media, and immersive digital experiences.
- In the Midway: We welcomed fans in the Midway, a family-friendly area with vendors, attractions, and activities, to the e.l.f. Lip Oil Change - a race-tracked themed activation that offered pit-style make-up glow-ups, exclusive e.l.f. merch & product samples, an interactive message board for fans to share words of encouragement with Katherine, and a visual display focused on showcasing the nine women who’ve raced in the Indy 500 and Katherine’s impact on the sport. Female fans felt represented, fathers were excited to have a space to share with their daughters, and Katherine’s fans celebrated the full-fledged support of their favorite driver.
- On The Track: We designed Katherine’s car’s paint scheme and fire-proof jumpsuit with a gradient pink look inspired by the Glow Reviver Lip Oil line to stand out in a sea of traditional racing color schemes and branding. We also took over the interior and exterior of Katherine’s garage with words of inspiration, created a custom hero card as a fan takeaway, brought our holy grail Lip Oil to the pit lane with custom lollipop design, and flanked the garage entrance with larger than life Glow Reviver Lip Oil replicas.
- Across the Speedway: As a primary sponsor of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we took over the Red Carpet, deployed daily animations on course markers along the track, and reached attendees with a series of branded PA announcements that ran across race weekend.
- With Immersive Digital Experiences: We brought the race to fans across the nation with the first-ever Indy 500 Roblox game experience, a two-hour Twitch livestream including interviews with legendary women in sports, and a custom Snap lens that had fans take to the track to collect Glow Reviver Lip Oils in the fastest time.
- Across the Digital Ecosystem: We took over e.l.f.’s digital channels with a suite of assets that communicated our mission of empowering legendary females and highlighted the holy grail Glow Reviver Lip Oil, hosted across organic and paid social, web, CRM, and app.
- For our Loyalty Program Members: We launched our most ambitious sweepstakes to date, offering 500 Beauty Squad members the chance to win “Lip Oil changes” for a year (fulfilled with a year’s supply of our Glow Reviver Lip Oil) with a digital-first sweepstakes hosted during race week.
The immersive, integrated Lip Oil Change campaign successfully increased awareness of e.l.f., engaged consumers across mediums, and amplified our messaging of inclusivity and driving change in women’s sports.
- 345K+ Indy 500 attendees reached
- 29K+ products sampled
- 7.1B+ total media impressions earned across 678 articles, interviews and social takeovers
- 1.4M+ e.l.f. UP! Indy Garage Roblox game plays
- 500K Twitch Livestream views; the biggest viewership of the year
- 743K Snap Lens uses
- 123.8% increase in sweepstakes entries compared to last 3 sweeps activations
- 6.7x more new Beauty Squad loyalty program sign-ups as compared than the average number of sign-ups driven by a sweepstakes (over a seven day period)
- 56M+ impressions generated from 360 efforts organic and paid social, resulting in a 6.26% Organic Engagement Rate
But most importantly, we created a space in a male-dominated sport and event where female fans and young girls felt represented and could see a future where they race for their dreams.
Video for Lip Oil Change: Empowering Legendary Females at the Indy 500
