e.l.f. Cosmetics released a second album, Mirror Mix, and named one of its seven artists as a brand ambassador. The first album drew free attention for e.l.f. with 10 million views and over 500,000 streams.

Best Buy is putting its production studio and creators behind the ads it sells to brands, and why Twisted Tea put Realtree camouflage on its cans. More below.

— Jeff

e.l.f. Cosmetics released Mirror Mix this week, the second album from e.l.f. Made, which its release calls an entertainment arm "built to disrupt the norms of the entertainment industry through music, entertainment, sports and gaming." Seven artists share the tracklist, and the release names one of them, Joaquina, e.l.f.'s newest ambassador.

Per e.l.f., one in three independent artists lack exposure, and the album puts seven of them in front of e.l.f.'s audience. Michelle Bell of Geo Massive executive produced it, and Genius hosts a live Open Mic with the artists on September 30, much as a small label would release it.

The first album, Get Ready With Music, drew more than 500,000 Spotify streams and 10 million YouTube views in 2024, roughly 20 views for every stream. Those streams and views are free to the audience, which is why a brand would do this: e.l.f. Cosmetics gets reach from people discovering music they like, without buying ad space.

Best Buy Studios, the retailer's production facility opened in 2024, will now make custom creative for Best Buy Ads partners, alongside a creator program built on established reviewers and store staff. Multi-touch attribution launches September 30. Best Buy cites Circana research finding its ads returned 17% more per dollar than national media, and drove 35% of measured sales contribution on 17% of spend.

The partnership spans scripted stories, an in-person casting event and a giveback. Its latest phase, "Next Dhar Star," filled the studio's Burbank lot with carnival games and talent showcases, and Invisalign ran a smile cam station that gave attendees headshots and previews of a straighter smile. Invisalign also gave one child free treatment and $1,000. Samsung TV Plus has commissioned the studio for an anthology series, "Unlikely Romances."

Twisted Tea, the top hard tea brand in the U.S., launched a limited-edition Realtree collection on September 28: trendy camo cans and pack wraps, plus hoodies, chairs and duck calls. Advertising runs across TV, streaming, social, bars and retail. Realtree, the popular hunting clothing brand known for its camo designs, has run similar collaborations with Nike and Crocs, and Boston Beer's new CMO, Allison Stransky, starts October 12.

YouTube's Watch With, first piloted on premium live streams, extends to all eligible long-form videos later this year. A creator taps "React live" and broadcasts alongside the original. The reacting creator keeps the live ad revenue and fan funding, and the original creator gets attribution and added view credit in YouTube Studio. Original creators control which videos can be reacted to in YouTube Studio settings. YouTube hasn't said whether the view credit carries ad revenue.

e.l.f. reaches new or existing customers by championing music and emerging artists their customers might like, and Best Buy is pairing its studio and creators with attribution so advertisers can see what the content earns. Brands should invest in content their customers want to spend time with, then track what it does for sales. That's how content earns a place in a brand’s marketing budget.

This week's radar: 21 creator and content roles posted. 7 sit in-house at brands, 8 at agencies, 6 at platforms. 4 are director-level or above. 15 disclosed a salary band, median $105,000.

Why it matters: e.l.f. runs a standing unit that makes music, and the second album repeats the first's structure with an ambassador attached.

Why it matters: The role builds influencer strategy from the ground up and sits one level below the CMO.

Why it matters: One manager builds the creator roster and produces the social content, for a brand sold in more than 5,300 stores.

Why it matters: It is Sally Beauty's first professional football partnership. It follows the Netflix docuseries "America's Sweethearts," whose third season drew 3.2 million views in six days, per Glossy.

Why it matters: The 2026 broadcast set a record for concurrent viewers. More than half of watch time came from living room devices, per Net Influencer.

Why it matters: The partnership runs across a story, an in-person casting event and a giveback, with the product inside each.

Why it matters: The channels carry creators' existing libraries to television screens in new markets. Samsung TV Plus has also commissioned Dhar Mann Studios for the anthology series "Unlikely Romances."

Why it matters: Seasons and episodes let YouTube play serialized vertical video in order on TV. Microdrama views on TV grew over 90% year over year.

P.S. If your consumer brand is ready to go beyond one-off campaigns, I can help your team develop a consistent content strategy and the infrastructure needed for branded entertainment. Schedule a 30-minute call with me for actionable insights on using your audience data effectively.

Jeff Hallstead | Brand Strategy Consultant, Fractional CMO, and CCO, based in Los Angeles. jeffhallstead.com