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Beauty brand elf champions individuality in new campaign

Express Your Elf by elf, UK

UK – Generation Z are known to be individualistic, and elf got the memo. The brand, which stands for ‘eyes. lips. face.’, invited the audience to re-imagine the acronym and its definition of beauty in a new creative campaign.

The elf commercial, developed with the strategic creative agency Southpaw and Irresistible Studios, serves up self-expression galore. The video playfully re-interprets the meaning of elf by means of spoken word performances. It features a range of diverse and fashion-forward characters giving their take on the ‘express your elf’ challenge, from ‘euphoric.luminous.fierce’ to ‘every.’life.free’.

At a time when beauty is being refined for Generation Z, the campaign sets out to connect the American brand with a new, younger and UK-based customer demographic. ‘We’re speaking to an audience that reject stereotypes and make-up is an important way to express the fluidity of their identity,’ says Glenn Smith, creative director of Southpaw. ‘This is their story, with elf being this supportive friend rather than a brand just trying to sell product.’

Strategic opportunity

To resonate with young consumers on the fringes, take cues from elf’s creatively unhinged messaging. How can anti-aspirational, more gritty interpretations of beauty align with your brand?

Pringles begins TikTok-approved caviar collection

US – In a ground-breaking fusion of social media trends and gourmet snacking, Pringles has teamed up with The Caviar Co to introduce a limited-edition Crisps and Caviar Collection from 19 September. The pairing gained recognition on TikTok in 2022 when content-creators would use different types of crisps to dip in caviar. Pringles smartly jumped on the trend by releasing this chips and caviar combination embodying upmarket snacking.

This innovative collection pairs Pringles’ Original, Sour Cream & Onion and BBQ flavours with The Caviar Co’s Classic White Sturgeon Caviar and Smoked Trout Roe. The kits also come with a gold collectable caviar keychain, tin openers and spoons for indulgent snacking anywhere.

Options include the Smoky Shores kit (£40, $49, €46), blending Sour Cream & Onion Pringles with Smoked Trout Roe, and the Salt of The Sea (£90, $110, €104), combining Original Pringles with Classic White Sturgeon Caviar. For variety, the Crisps and Caviar Flight (£115, $140, €132) offers all six flavour combinations.

In our TikTok Tastes microtrend report, we analyse how TikTok’s influence on food and drink trends is crossing over into the real world, inspiring new brands and products, as well as menu and marketing concepts.

Pringles Caviar Collection, US

Strategic opportunity

As TikTok trends evolve rapidly, consider how to harness the platform’s viral potential without ostracising consumers who have never heard of such food challenges. Pringles’ limited edition is a smart homage to a previous trend but will also appeal to food enthusiasts of all kinds

Pizza Hut creates pizza-themed world in the metaverse

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Pizza-Scented Controller by Xbox, US

Middle East – Publicis Middle East and Pizza Hut have collaborated on the restaurant giant’s first venture into the metaverse.

Inspired by fans creating their own pizza-themed experiences on the app, The Hut is a virtual Pizza Hut world on Roblox. Fans can play mini-games and hunt for their favourite pizza toppings and earn badges and prizes, all while kitting out their Roblox avatars in pizza-themed costumes and accessories, such as cheese and tomato onesies, tomato helmets and pepperoni glasses.

The new Roblox world is accompanied by a Fun 4 All family pizza and sides deal from Pizza Hut.

‘With the launch of The Hut into Roblox, we want to honour the efforts of our superfans and deliver what they have been hoping for, giving them a chance to virtually experience the Pizza Hut world and share their love for pizza,’ Ahmed Sabri, marketing lead at Pizza Hut Middle East and Pakistan, told Campaign.

Pizza Hut’s new campaign follows in the footsteps of other retailers such as Chipotle, Coca-Cola and Kellogg’s that have entered into the Gastro Gaming Market in an attempt to appeal to families and young gaming communities.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how you can appeal to both Gen Alpha and their parents through immersive experiences on the metaverse paired with real-life incentives, such as Pizza Hut’s Fun 4 All meal deal

Stat: Agrifood firms believe in regenerative agriculture but adoption is low

Black Urban Growers and the National Black Food and Justice Alliance at Norman’s farm by Nydia Blas, Atlanta

Global – A September 2023 study by investor network FAIRR reveals that while most food and retail sector giants view regenerative agriculture as a climate crisis solution, concrete actions are lagging behind. For The Four Labours of Regenerative Agriculture report, some 79 major agrifood firms were surveyed, worth a combined £2.5 trillion ($3 trillion, €2.8 trillion) and representing one-third of the sector.

Of the 50 firms that recognise regenerative agriculture as vital for climate change and biodiversity, 64% have not outlined company-wide targets. Companies that have yet to do so include Chipotle, Domino’s and Bunge. Only 8% of the firms surveyed have pledged financial support to incentivise farmers to adopt regenerative practices. Notable exceptions are Nestlé, PepsiCo, JBS and Sodexo, with Nestlé committing £985m ($1.2bn, €1.1bn) to these practices.

Some companies are taking positive steps. Danone aims to source 30% of key ingredients from regenerative farms by 2025, while General Mills plans to implement regenerative agriculture on one million acres by 2030. Walmart and PepsiCo are collaborating on a regenerative agriculture programme to eliminate four million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

In our previous coverage of Adaptive Appetites and How Soil is Inspiring Food Futures, we analysed how regenerative agriculture is crucial to the survival of the food and drink industry given climate change could lead to resource scarcity.

Strategic opportunity

To avoid greenwashing accusations, agrifood professionals must allocate resources to support farmers in adopting regenerative agriculture techniques. This can include financial incentives, training and partnerships with agricultural communities