Robin Driver
May 4, 2021
Californian cosmetics brand E.L.F. Cosmetics is partnering with video sharing app TikTok and gaming media
platform Enthusiast Gaming for the launch of TikTok Gamers Got Talent, an exclusive seven-week live series showcasing the TikTok gaming community’s skills.
Starting Sunday, May 9, TikTok Gamers Got Talent will give contestants the chance to show off their gaming talents for a rotating panel of celebrity judges and win $25,000, as well as a range of E.L.F. beauty products.
Following an open call launched via TikTok at the end of last month, 20 contestants are being selected to take part in the series. The panel will feature both gaming vets and popular TikTok creators, including Canada-based esport organization Luminosity Gaming's toripareno, nickeh30, Muselk, and Canadian musician bbno$.
Sunday’s series premiere will feature an all-female panel, including Luminosity Gaming's Chica and Australian pro-gamer Loserfruit.
“We are thrilled to partner with TikTok and E.L.F. Cosmetics, who share in our passion of gaming, to uniquely deliver this immersive and engaging experience to our gaming fan communities,” commented Enthusiast Gaming COO Thamba Tharmalingam in a release. “This partnership provides a great opportunity to shine a light on the talented and passionate female gamers in our communities and we look forward to the talent and creativity that our audience will bring.”
“TikTok Gamers Got Talent marks our first foray into connecting with the TikTok gaming community and we’re proud to be the premiere sponsor of this live series,” added E.L.F. chief marketing officer Kory Marchisotto. “In true E.L.F. style, we are going all in – proving that anything is E.L.F.ing possible. We can’t wait to see some bad-ass girl gamers unleash their amazing talents.”
E.L.F.’s support of the live series is part of a wider strategy called “Gameup,” through which the brand is exploring the intersection between gaming and makeup as it seeks to prove that the world of gaming is not just for males.
It also reflects a more general trend in the fashion and beauty industries that has seen brands launch a range of different initiatives and collaborations in an effort to claim their slice of the $162 billion global gaming industry.
Brazilian flipflop brand Havaianas recently launched a phygital collaboration with popular online battle royale game Fortnite, which included both physical products and digital, in-game content. This move followed in the footsteps of brands including Louis Vuitton, which designed in-game skins for battle arena game League of Legends in 2019.
More specifically in the cosmetics sector, last year, MAC joined forces with Chinese tech company Tencent for a lipstick collection inspired by characters from its Honor of Kings mobile game, with all products selling out within 24 hours of launch.
And beyond product collaborations, E.L.F. isn’t the only beauty brand seeking to empower female gamers in the male-dominated world of pro-gaming. Over the last two years, for example, LVMH-owned Benefit Cosmetics has teamed up with global esports organization Gen.G and the Sydney-based GirlGamer Esports Festival for initiatives promoting female participation in esports.
Gaming is a popular category on TikTok, with the #Gaming hashtag currently boasting more than 105 billion views globally.