A Look at 2024’s Best Campaigns

How Partnerships Made 2024’s Top Brand Campaigns Shine

Last year, we discussed some of the best recurring campaigns of 2023, like Spotify Wrapped and Shot on iPhone. These kinds of campaigns work because they’re familiar; over time, they’ve become part of the brand itself.

This year, though, we’re focusing on something different: the best partnership campaigns of 2024. Instead of relying on familiarity, these campaigns combine two brands (or a brand and a celebrity) to create something new. By bringing their audiences together, these collaborations can supercharge growth and reach people who wouldn’t usually notice them.

Let’s dive into two of 2024’s standout partnerships: e.l.f. Cosmetics x Liquid Death and Jeremy Allen White x Calvin Klein.

e.l.f. Cosmetics and Liquid Death: A Bold and Unexpected Team-Up

e.l.f. Cosmetics offers affordable, high-quality makeup and skincare that is cruelty-free and vegan. The brand is big on accessibility and trends, and most of its audience is women (around 77% female and 22% male, according to data from Infegy).

Figure 1: e.l.f. Cosmetics Gender Distribution (December 2021 through December 2024); Infegy Social Dataset.

On the other hand, Liquid Death sells water in edgy tallboy cans and markets itself like a punk rock band. They’re serious about sustainability and donate part of their profits to environmental causes. Their audience is mainly male (71% male and 27% female).

Figure 2: Liquid Death Gender Distribution (December 2021 through December 2024); Infegy Social Dataset.

In March 2024, these two brands collaborated on a wild collaboration called CORPSE PAINT, a black-metal-inspired makeup collection. The five-piece set came in a coffin-shaped box and stayed true to both brands’ values: cruelty-free, bold, and sustainable (the packaging avoided plastic entirely).

At first, some people thought it was an April Fool’s joke because of its timing. But once the campaign launched, it was clear that this was no joke—it was a huge hit. Social media exploded with conversation, as shown in Figure 3, with overwhelmingly positive reactions.

Figure 3: Sentiment Volume for Liquid Death and e.l.f. Cosmetics Launch Event (Dec 2023 - Dec 2024); Infegy Social Dataset

One insight from this campaign was how it flipped expectations about language. Words like “corpse,” “death,” and “black” might seem negative at first, but context is key. Infegy’s sentiment analysis showed that people were super positive about the launch, proving the importance of tools that understand context.

Figure 4: Top Topics for Liquid Death and e.l.f. Cosmetics Launch Event (Dec 2023 - Dec 2024); Infegy Social Dataset

The biggest win? The collaboration brought both brands’ audiences together. As shown in Figure 5, the campaign’s gender breakdown evened out, with more women talking about Liquid Death and more men engaging with e.l.f. This kind of crossover is what partnership campaigns are designed to do.

Figure 5: Top Topics for Liquid Death and e.l.f. Cosmetics Collaborative Campaign (December 2023 through December 2024); Infegy Social Dataset.

Jeremy Allen White and Calvin Klein: Celebrity Power in Action

Partnerships don’t always have to be between brands. Celebrities can bring their star power into the mix, and Jeremy Allen White’s campaign with Calvin Klein was a perfect example in 2024.

Jeremy Allen White, known for his Emmy-winning role in The Bear, starred in Calvin Klein’s Fall-Winter campaign. The photoshoot featured him poolside in denim-focused outfits and underwear, emphasizing comfort and timeless style. The campaign also tied into his upcoming Bruce Springsteen role, giving it even more cultural relevance.

Calvin Klein’s CEO, Stefan Larsson, credited campaigns like White’s with helping the brand drive “more consumer engagement than at any other time in the history of the brand.” The first week of White’s campaign saw a 30% jump in underwear sales compared to the previous year. Instagram engagement also surged, with the brand growing its fanbase to 134 million followers—a 60% increase over the prior year. Larsson even called it “the biggest cut-through campaign in all of the fashion industry,” underscoring its cultural impact.

Like the e.l.f. x Liquid Death collab, this campaign followed a predictable pattern of interest. Figure 6 shows a spike in engagement when the campaign launched around the Golden Globes in January 2024. Calvin Klein loved the success and the buzz, so they decided to relaunch another version of the campaign in August.

Figure 6: Post Volume for Jeremy Allen White and Calvin Klein Collaboration (Dec 2023 - Dec 2024); Infegy Social Dataset

Hashtags played a significant role here, too. As shown in Figure 7, Calvin Klein cleverly planned this campaign around White’s Golden Globes appearance. White wore Calvin Klein to the awards and starred in promo content showing him getting ready. This mix of real-life and promotional content made the campaign feel authentic and relatable.

Figure 7: Top Hashtags for Jeremy Allen White and Calvin Klein Collaboration (Dec 2023 - Dec 2024); Infegy Social Dataset

This partnership worked because it introduced Calvin Klein to fans of The Bear, who might have yet to pay attention to the brand. It’s another example of how collaborations can build bridges to new audiences while driving measurable results.

What We Learned

The best campaigns of 2024 highlight the power of partnerships to reach new audiences and create fresh, engaging content. The collaboration between e.l.f. Cosmetics and Liquid Death showed how two brands with distinct identities can come together to craft a bold campaign that resonated with both their audiences. Similarly, Calvin Klein’s campaign with Jeremy Allen White demonstrated how celebrity partnerships can connect brands with new fans, especially when tied to culturally relevant moments like award season.

These campaigns also emphasize the importance of context in understanding audience sentiment. Using tools like Infegy Starscape, brands can uncover deeper insights, even when unconventional language or timing is involved. Ultimately, these partnerships showcase how well-executed collaborations can elevate brand visibility and foster genuine connections across diverse groups.

Key Takeaways

These campaigns show how partnerships can take brands to the next level. Here are the key takeaways:

• Reach New Audiences: The e.l.f. x Liquid Death campaign brought men and women together in unexpected ways, proving that collaborations can expand your customer base.
• Use Contextual Sentiment Analysis: Tools like Infegy help you see the real story behind the data, especially when unconventional language is involved.
• Time It Right: Calvin Klein’s campaign benefited from aligning with award season, showing the power of tapping into cultural moments.

If you’re planning campaigns for 2025, these examples are a great blueprint. Whether partnering with another brand or a celebrity, the proper collaboration can help you break through and connect with audiences like never before.