So I'm going into the e.l.f. app,
and I'm clicking on Virtual Try On.
Grapefruit Goals.
Cheeky Cherry.
Okay, I think I look best...
in Tough Cookie,
so I think I'm gonna go with that.
I like that Tough Cookie.
Hi, I'm Emmanuel Acho.
By now, you know the drill.
It's "Simply Put."
We solve your biggest business headaches
in simply put terms.
My job, to enforce one rule:
everything has to make sense.
If anything gets confusing,
one of these will pop up
and get us right back on track.
Gayitri Budhraja,
the VP of Brand at e.l.f. Beauty,
is gonna tell us all about
her customer-first philosophy.
Later my guy Bruce Kotrys will join us.
Bruce has a crash course for putting
Gayitri's customer-first advice
into action.
That sound good?
Here's Gayitri again.
Beauty can be so exclusionary
and unattainable.
We want to make the best of beauty
accessible to every eye, lip, and face.
It is no longer enough to just have
a good product or a good service.
Consumers expect brands
to stand for something.
We took a very early stance as a company
and put a message out there
around solidarity.
So we're really able to lean
on the Commerce Cloud at Salesforce
and we're able to push out links
and education and tools
and get that out to our community
in a very rapid way so that we can all
band together and act.
I think what technology does is puts data
at the center of absolutely everything.
Our consumers are everywhere,
and so we absolutely need technology
to be able to stitch these
disparate sources of data and information
around our consumers.
Our software partners
are the biggest unsung heroes.
They absolutely sit underneath
everything that we do.
It allows brands to really be in tune
with what the consumer
needs, wants, and desires are.
We've become a global music sensation.
We've entered into gaming.
We've dominated TikTok.
We exist way beyond beauty.
And all of this was enabled
through the connected ecosystem
that Salesforce was able to provide us.
Now, that's how you give a brand
a personality.
Gayitri knows it's all about the customer,
and she's got some words of wisdom.
Salesforce's own Bruce Kotrys
will walk us through the tactics
behind her big ideas.
These are my top three tips
for innovating around your consumers.
Number one, actively break the mold.
These days, consumers fall in love
with experiences before products.
Step outside of your industry's norms
and get a little weird.
Show off your human side,
because people will notice.
e.l.f. is a shining example of this.
This year alone, they partnered
with popular influencers in gaming,
created a holiday album on Spotify,
but, most impressively, they launched
a viral video challenge on TikTok
that got 3 million video submissions
and 5 billion views.
I'd say that's breaking the mold.
The benefits of innovation
really start to shine through, though,
with Gayitri's next tip.
Number two, activate your community.
Be authentic.
You could partner with local nonprofits
to do some good or make a pledge
like cruelty-free ingredients
or carbon neutrality.
Just make sure it's something
you believe in and can stand by.
That inspires trust.
For example, e.l.f. Cares
throws their support
behind anti-racism movements
and gives a platform
to the LGBTQ+ community.
This part of their ecommerce site
isn't for shopping
but for messages of equality
and social justice.
Knowing the passions of your community
and showing action are a great way
to stay connected to them.
And you don't need to take a stand alone.
This next tip will help you
boost your branding efforts.
Number three, extend your platform
with partners.
Right, Gayitri.
You can unleash your brand's
full potential with partners.
There's a vast partner network out there
that companies can tap into
to turn their digital dreams into reality.
Check out e.l.f.'s partnership
with Perfect Corp.
After mastering great products
and a scaled digital presence,
e.l.f. wanted to bring
an inherently tactile experience
like trying on makeup
into everyone's homes.
With a seamless interface
on both desktop and mobile
and the most sophisticated
AR and AI technology,
now everyone can try on makeup
and skin care anywhere.
Just select the Virtual Try On tab,
pick a product and color,
upload a picture or take one on the spot,
and voilà.
You could see exactly what each product
looks like on your skin.
When I take a step back, I sometimes
can't even believe that this is my job.
e.l.f. is truly a brand
that is of the people, by the people,
for the people,
and I absolutely want everyone
to experience the brand in that way.
All right, that's a wrap
on our first season of "Simply Put."
We want to thank e.l.f. Beauty
for playing along with us
and all of you for watching.
We'll see you soon. Can't wait.