The “E.l.f.” in E.l.f. Beauty may stand for eyes, lips, and face, but the brand also has a heart—Laurie Lam, its chief brand officer.

When describing her role, Lam told Retail Brew she pumps “the vital blood…so every single organ gets what it needs in order to adequately be able to do its thing,” adding the brand needs a strong pulse to maintain the “speed of light” pace, both in marketing and product innovation, that has become essential to its strategy.

“In my two years I’ve been at E.l.f., I’ve done more than I’ve done in my 20-year career,” Lam said.

Lam spent more than 15 years in marketing at L’Oréal before joining E.l.f. in 2022, beginning her new role with an intention word—“unleash”—which is spelled out on the friendship-style bracelet she’s wearing when we meet up at Cannes Lions.

E.l.f. began in 2004, selling $1 direct-to-consumer cosmetics. As such, it’s “always been disrupting,” Lam said. Fast forward two decades, and the brand closed out fiscal 2024 with net sales up 71% in Q4 to $321.1 million, notching its 21st consecutive quarter—and strongest ever year—of net sales growth. While the brand has raised prices since its debut, Lam noted that understanding its consumers, listening to its community, and often moving quickly has helped the brand sparkle.

Keep reading here.—EC

Traditional advertising just doesn’t resonate with audiences the way it used to. Instead, influencer marketing has taken over in a big way. It helps marketers maintain authenticity and increase brand awareness—all while giving revenue a boost.

Whether you’re an influencer marketing newbie or are a seasoned pro, impact.com’s Ultimate Guide to Influencer Marketing covers everything you need to know. You’ll find fundamentals, best practices, and tips to make the most of your influencer marketing campaigns.

Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll learn:

• what influencer marketing is + how it works
• examples of successful campaigns
• best practices for launching influencer campaigns + programs

Get impact.com’s Ultimate Guide to Influencer Marketing here.

While some may question the wisdom of using a coupon on a first date, the beauty of online shopping is that you can fly your frugality flag with no judgment. And flying that flag we are: In the first six months of the year, retailers each issued an average of nine unique codes, a 31% YoY increase, according to SimplyCodes, a promo codes platform.

Those discounts are deeper, too. The average discount the codes offered was 17.6%, up from 17.17%, which may look fractional but is real money: The average savings per promo code was $33.25, up from $27.26 last year.

Keep reading here.—AAN

The French have long known that mayonnaise goes great with fries, and now mayo-maker Hellmann’s is banking on more Americans embracing the pairing as well. The condiment brand is opening a Paris-style cafe in Manhattan on Wednesday to promote the practice of dipping fries in mayo. Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

In earnings: Q2 earnings season kicks into gear this week, with a mix of QSR companies, consumer brands, tech giants, and grocery chains. McDonald’s is reporting on Monday, hot on the heels of announcing that it plans to extend the availability of its $5 value menu. Supermarket chain Sprouts also reports on Monday. Starbucks reports on Tuesday, and Kraft Heinz reports Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, both Amazon and Apple are releasing their results, for a double-whammy of big tech earnings. DoorDash, which is increasingly partnering with retailers, is also reporting on Thursday.

Keep reading here.—AV

Encapsulating the future of luxury. Iconic magazine features stories from culture shakers across industries. The seventh issue explores fashion tech à la Iris van Herpen, visits France for Olympics fashion, unveils digitized scents from Google, and offers in-depth looks at Ala Moana Center, Brookfield Place NY, the Crown Building, and Oakbrook Center. Check it out.