Quick follow-up on last week's Waterboy breakdown: someone reminded me of an obvious, but important point

I always say organic social is one of the higher leverage channels and "free" to get reach, but the true cost is the time spent to create the content and maintain presence on the channel. And in Waterboy's case, actually sending people on the trip (though relative to the reach and conversation I'm sure it's a good return).

Now for this week's breakdown. Why would a cosmetics company send a care package to a guy in the middle of the ocean?

sailing_with_phoenix

WHAT JUST HAPPENED @e.l.f. Cosmetics #sailing #sailinglife #fyp #dream

♬ original sound - sailing_with_phoenix

​

If you haven't followed the Sailing With Phoenix saga, first, you're missing out. Second, here's some context.

29-year-old Oliver Widger quit his corporate job, cashed out his 401k, bought a sailboat, and set off from Oregon to Hawaii with nothing but his essentials and his cat, Phoenix.

Every day, Oliver posted a dispatch from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. As millions tuned in to watch his slow drift, e.l.f. Cosmetics tapped in, shipping him a care package on day 24 of the trip. A stunt which garnered them close to 14 million views.

Here's the how and why:

They're chronically online

e.l.f. has quietly built a reputation as one of the most online-savvy brands out there.

They’ve launched unexpected collabs, sponsored streamers before it was common, and even dropped a music track just to play into TikTok’s algorithm.

So when a random guy named Oliver went viral for sailing across the Pacific, e.l.f. didn’t need a trend report to tell them it was a moment. They already knew. Because it's likely most of their team was watching.

This kind of social responsiveness is what happens when your social team actually lives online. The benefit of this sounds obvious, but it's still striking how many teams I meet who don't actually use the platforms they want to win on.

Not a "branded" PR box
​
​Olivers journey is about stepping away from the corporate grind: quitting his job, cashing out his retirement and heading into the open ocean with nothing but a sailboat. He's not a traditional "influencer" chasing deals by any means.

So it would have been wildly off-brand (and frankly, tone-deaf) for e.l.f. to send a flashy, logo-covered PR box floating out to sea, even if that would have been "on brand." Instead, they showed restraint. The drop was a plain, plastic-wrapped backpack with a mix of snacks, essentials, and yes, a few e.l.f. products like sunscreen.

That’s what made it land. It felt like a genuine gesture, not a marketing play.

It also gave Oliver a natural reason to talk about it. When someone’s filming their survival on the ocean, a protein bar and SPF make a lot more sense than branded lip gloss.

By showing up with utility instead of a campaign, e.l.f. matched the tone of the moment and got what every marketing team talks about: authenticity.

Fast and responsive

There was (seemingly) no agency brokering this deal. No scheduled post. No contract. Just a brand that saw a cultural moment happening in real time and acted.

And because they were first, and because it wasn’t forced, it felt "authentic." Now anything that comes after will look like a copycat, or worse—like a brand trying to cash in when the magic is over.

What brands can take away?

1. You don’t need a contract to create impact. If you remember the Stanley car fire incident, you'll remember that some of the best brand moments aren't planned, they're reacting, and the brand just does...the most obvious thing. If the moment feels right, move fast.
2. Match the energy of the story you’re entering. Oliver left corporate life to live simply. A loud, branded stunt would have clashed. e.l.f., as they'd say in 2023, understood the assignment 💅
3. Being “online” means more than checking TikTok once a week. The brands that win are the ones that actually live on these platforms. e.l.f. wasn’t reacting to a viral moment, they were already part of the conversation and journey.
4. You can’t always measure the upside. What impact did this stunt have for e.l.f.? Sure there are millions of views, but did it translate into sales, new customers, or affinity? Maybe? Maybe not. Having to make this kind of case and waiting for guarantees is a surefire way to miss the moment, however. If the partnership is low stakes enough relative to your size and scale, it's better to act.

That's all for this week. Thanks for reading! As always, would love to hear any thoughts!

Ashwinn

​

​

​

​

​