E.l.f. Beauty, Gap and Wendy's are deploying original music and entertainment projects as core marketing tools, signaling a shift away from traditional advertising toward what executives call brand storytelling.
E.l.f. Beauty released "Mirror Mix," its second original album, featuring music from seven rising artists including a WNBA player and Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter. The album streams on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and Roblox. Chief Integrated Marketing Officer Patrick O'Keefe said the music is designed to deepen customer connection through emotional resonance. "When you put community at the center of everything and building music, which evokes emotion, it changes the conversation," O'Keefe told CNBC. E.l.f.'s original music strategy traces to 2019, when the song "eyes.lips.face." went viral on TikTok. The company has also launched a TikTok reality show and became an early brand adopter on Twitch live shopping. CEO Tarang Amin framed the strategy bluntly: "We're an entertainment company that happens to sell beauty products."
E.l.f. reports unaided brand awareness rose to 45% from 13% over five years. The company doubled profits in its most recently reported quarter, marking 30 consecutive quarters of growth. Over 20% of net sales in fiscal Q1 went to marketing and digital spending, a figure the company expects to increase. E.l.f. is funding the expanded marketing spend partly through tariff refunds, receiving $50 million in the three months ended June 30 after a Supreme Court ruling.
Gap announced a multiyear partnership with boy band Just Your Type, committing to produce a docuseries, national mall tour and clothing collection. The venture operates under Gap's new "fashiontainment" platform, which Gap CEO Richard Dickson said reflects market realities. "Fashion is entertainment, and today's customers aren't just buying apparel, they're buying into brands that tell compelling stories and drive cultural conversations," Dickson said in January. Gap created the chief entertainment officer role specifically to oversee such initiatives.
Wendy's released "Songs to Listen to in a Wendy's Parking Lot," an emo album with humorous tracks including "She Said She Didn't Want Fries." The lead song generated over 450,000 Spotify streams. CEO Bob Wright identified marketing as a key company focus during recent earnings, noting the need to drive meaningful customer connection.
A June report from United Talent Agency found cultural relevance significantly influences Gen Z purchasing. Ninety percent of Gen Z consumers notice brands perceived as culturally relevant; 68% ultimately buy from them.