The White Lotus Star Jennifer Coolidge Reunites with Mike White for e.l.f Cosmetics Super Bowl Debut

For fans of HBO’s smash hit series The White Lotus, this year’s Super Bowl had a treat in store in the form of a reunion between star Jennifer Coolidge and showrunner Mike White. 

It’s the first time in its 19-year history that e.l.f Cosmetics has ever advertised on TV, and the marketing team decided to go big, and very, very timely with the casting. While nostalgia has run the roost for the most part during this year’s cohort of commercials, with appearances from Breaking Bad’s Walter White and Clueless’s Cher Horowtiz, e.l.f. Cosmetics is bang up to date by collaborating with the talent behind the eat-the-rich anthology series set in different locations of a fictional hotel chain. 

The ad has been created specifically to promote the Power Grip Primer. In order to promote its stickiness and ability to grip makeup, the spot sees the effervescent and naturally comedic Cooldige become stuck to a number of surfaces.

“The genesis for this campaign is our COMMUNITY who adore Power Grip Primer. They propelled it to the #1 Primer in the U.S.; coining it ‘Sticky AF’ and ‘makeup glue’,” said Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty. “Once we realized the viral power of Power Grip Primer, the entertainment value of the stickiness, and how much fun our community was having with it, we knew it was time to lean in harder than ever before. The stars aligned to bring e.l.f. and Jennifer together at the intersection of pop culture magic and the virality of one of the hottest beauty products.”

Prior to the big game, the brand launched a delightfully silly teaser that sees Coolidge launch into - of all things - an impression of baby dolphin. The authenticity of the teaser also reveals the star’s affinity with e.l.f.’s vegan, cruelty-free and Fair Trade model.

“I've always been passionate about vegan and cruelty free beauty. Years ago, I studied makeup artistry and that really shaped my relationship with beauty," said Jennifer Coolidge. “I adore e.l.f. Cosmetics' accessible, incredible products. Power Grip Primer works beautifully and makes my skin sticky, glowy and dewy in the best way possible! I truly enjoyed this collaborative experience with e.l.f."

The spot itself is a collaboration between a number of parties. SHADOW, e.l.f.’s long-term creative marketing and comms agency developed the creative and took the lead on the casting. The script, however, was co-written by Mike White, the creative tour de force behind The White Lotus. Award-winning director Maggie Carey directed the spot and collaborated with director Neal Brennan. The spot was produced by Caviar. Performance marketing firm Tinuiti, e.l.f.'s long-term digital agency of record, worked on the paid media strategy and planning.

"From the onset, we knew we were going to do something groundbreaking,” said Brian Vaughan, executive creative director and Partner, SHADOW. “Adding Jennifer to this trifecta, brought the whole moment to life as only she could, and we think the final result is going to stick with e.l.f fans, and the entire audience at the game of games.”

The 30 second spot will stream nationally on the Fox Sports app and Fox NOW. However, it will also air on local owned and operated FOX networks in the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco metro areas.