Glamor meets justice in Elf Beauty’s star-studded Super Bowl spot, ‘Judge Beauty’

Introducing ‘Judge Beauty,’ a star-studded spectacle featuring none other than judicial icon Judge Judy Sheindlin, presiding over a campy trial of beauty transgressions.

The courtroom cast reads like a Hollywood who’s who, with Gina Torres taking the stand as the accused, facing allegations of overspending on her foundation. Her sentence? $14 Glowy Skin, courtesy of Elf’s Halo Glow Liquid Filter.

On the opposing side, Rick Hoffman assumes the role of plaintiff, bringing the charges against Torres. The proceedings are expertly recorded by actor Sarah Rafferty, who serves as Judge Beauty’s trusted stenographer, while pop star Meghan Trainor reports live on the legal proceedings. Keeping order in the court is none other than bestselling author, former NFL linebacker and Emmy-winning TV host Emmanuel Acho as the bailiff.

The jury box is also filled with familiar faces, including Benito Skinner, transforming his beloved ‘Kooper the Gen Z Intern’ character into ‘Kooper the Elf intern.’ Ronald Gladden from Freevee’s reality hoax sitcom Jury Duty and HeidiNCloset from RuPaul’s Drag Race join forces, along with Sarah Rose, a law clerk on Amazon Freevee and Prime Video’s Judy Justice.

The campaign was conceived, scripted, cast and produced by Shadow, while Tinuiti handled media planning. Brian Vaughan, executive creative director and partner at Shadow, revealed that the viral memes surrounding Jury Duty informed the campaign’s creative vision.

“People have been glued to legal drama this year – Suits broke streaming records, Jury Duty went joyously viral and our queen Judy Sheindlin made a resurgence with a new show,” said Vaughan. “In noting that trend, we realized that a courtroom was the perfect setting to amplify Elf’s strong value set with real authority, and we couldn’t help but get excited at the endless casting possibilities that this universe lent itself to. It was the perfect playground for our message: Elf objects to overpriced makeup.”

This year’s campaign marks a departure from Elf’s Super Bowl debut last year with The White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge. While last year’s spot was regional, Judge Beauty takes center stage as Elf’s first-ever national spot, as does its markedly diverse cast.

Kory Marchisotto, chief marketing officer at Elf Beauty, then addressed how the campaign bolsters Elf’s overall brand strategy, stating: “We prioritize what our community is reacting to in pop culture and use that as a springboard to create larger-than-life brand moments that will surprise and delight.”

Elf won’t be the only beauty brand suiting up for Super Bowl 2024. NYX Professional Makeup is making its Big Game debut this year with a commercial starring rapper Cardi B produced by McCann New York.

Expressing enthusiasm about the evolving landscape, Marchisotto remarked: “We’re rewriting the Big Game ad spot playbook, showing that beauty belongs everywhere. We pioneered beauty in a memorable way last year and are excited to witness the ripple effect as more beauty brands join this inclusive platform.”

The campaign will premiere during Super Bowl LVIII with a 60-second version rolling out across social, online, print and out-of-home platforms through Spring 2024.

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