Elf Beauty's CEO, Tarang Amin, reframes copying expensive prestige products ('dupes') as a moral duty. He argues it's immoral to charge consumers excessively for products that can be made with equal or better quality for a fraction of the price, especially when many consumers live paycheck to paycheck.

Elf Beauty CEO Tarang Amin practices a "zero distance" policy by engaging directly with customers on TikTok Live. After being "terrorized" by user requests for a new product, he overruled an 18-month timeline and launched it in just six months, showing how direct community feedback can radically accelerate a product pipeline.

To be memorable, marketers should pivot from purely digital tactics to quirky, offline activities like pop-up stands or unusual collaborations. These offline events generate buzz that can be amplified online. If an idea doesn't seem slightly risky or unconventional, it's likely not bold enough to capture attention.

The brand's marketing strategy is rooted in the "attention economy," meaning they compete for consumer mindshare against entertainment channels, not just other apparel retailers. This mindset drives them to create campaigns that function like entertainment programming, aiming to "be the conversation" rather than just joining it.

To succeed today, product companies must also be media companies. Instead of solely relying on buying advertising, brands need to create and distribute their own content through owned channels. This strategy builds a direct relationship with the community, fosters loyalty, and creates a more sustainable marketing engine.

Instead of seeking synergies by integrating acquired companies like Hailey Bieber's Rhode, Elf Beauty keeps the founder and their team in place. The goal is to provide resources like sales support and R&D to help the founder's original vision scale faster, avoiding common M&A pitfalls.

Don't dismiss the success of celebrity brands as unattainable. Instead, analyze the core mechanism: massive 'free reach' and 'memory generation.' The takeaway isn't to hire a celebrity, but to find your own creative ways to generate a similar level of organic attention and build a tribe around your brand.

Elf's CEO believes it's immoral to charge consumers inflated prices for beauty products when high-quality, affordable alternatives are possible. This reframes the "dupe" strategy from a competitive tactic to a consumer-centric mission, especially for budget-conscious demographics.

Instead of a standard celebrity ad, The Gap produced a full-fledged music video with the group Cat's Eye, generating 500 million views. By creating culture (art, music) instead of just sponsoring it, The Gap transformed its marketing from an expense into a viral entertainment asset, driving its best growth in years.