A rash of major brands have revoked their DEI support over the last few months, but e.l.f. Cosmetics is racing toward its diversity goals at full throttle. In May, the company became the first-ever beauty brand to serve as a primary sponsor of an Indy 500 driver—Katherine Legge, the only female driver that competed in the race. Then, from Nov. 2-3, e.l.f. teamed up with Purdue University to up the ante on its “Lip Oil Change” activation with “In My STEM Era,” a free, maker-centric event held at Indianapolis’ Circle Centre Mall that coincided with the final leg of Taylor Swift’s U.S. Eras Tour.
With an influx of Swifties—primarily women and girls—in Indy for the weekend, and females comprising only 36 percent of the STEM workforce nationwide, the organizations saw an opportunity to educate visitors on the subjects, as well as the university itself, which has the largest STEM undergraduate enrollment of any top-50-ranked school in the U.S., and offers the country’s only accredited motorsports engineering program.
By design, it was an easy 10-minute walk to the pop-up experience from Lucas Oil Stadium where Swift performed. The overarching idea was to use the In My STEM Era activation to draw parallels between fans’ interests in subjects like beauty and concert production, and the scientific fields behind them, with a goal of inspiring more women to pursue a STEM-related education and, eventually, career. Accordingly, the experience was divided up into different STEM-themed “eras” that fused beauty, academia and motorsports.
“It was an opportunity to educate people about the power of STEM and what Purdue is trying to do, and how will we get that 36 percent to 50, and creating a narrative to a larger audience,” says Patrick O’Keefe, chief integrated marketing officer at e.l.f. Cosmetics. “And a large percentage of those who attend [Swift’s] concerts are women and young girls. So why not lean in where they are and give them a chance to learn with us, and identify ways that we can help support them in a way that no [other brand] is.”
Among engagements, attendees could create friendship bracelets that featured hidden messages written in binary code, digitally design a custom photo background for social that could be shared on-site on a giant LED screen, print their own tote bag and take it home as a souvenir, learn about Purdue’s “space era” by watching the short film “Boilers to Mars,” and check out the e.l.f.-branded car driven by Legge in the 2024 Indy 500, which was parked on-site. And, adding to the atmosphere were nods to Swift. Think: giant friendship bracelets hanging overhead, lyrics that popped up in brand messaging and even a recreation of the artist’s famous moss-covered piano.
Of course, the Lip Oil Change was also part of the experience, offering consumers a chance to sample products, score giveaways and get complimentary touch-ups in a racing-themed environment. There were also tracks from e.l.f.’s recently released album, “Get Ready With Music”, which features a slate of emerging artists, playing in the background.
Purdue’s Women in Engineering Program, which encourages girls to discover their “inner engineer” through mentoring and career development, was also pivotal to the activation. Engineering students were on hand interacting with attendees and teaching them how to create a “galaxy in a bottle” keychain and facilitating a straw rocket launching experience.
“We stand for every ‘eye, lip and face,’” says O’Keefe. “We’re going in and we’re leading with purpose and building a community anywhere that we think we can connect in a way and at a level that is beyond just a product. So if we can at least touch two or three people, and change their life, that’s important… It’s, again, leaning into a captive audience and, hopefully, transforming some lives.” Agency: Purdue Brand Studio.
More Scenes from the In My STEM Era activation:
Photos: Courtesy of Purdue University
