OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Offering its hard-hitting support for equality and inclusivity, e.l.f. (NYSE: ELF) announced today that it is joining forces with the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge (BJKC), the women’s world cup of tennis, in a new multi-year global partnership. e.l.f. is the exclusive skin and cosmetic partner of the BJKC, the world’s largest annual international team competition in women’s sports. In addition, e.l.f. will co-host the inaugural Power of Women’s Sports Summit.
The tournament finals will be held in Málaga, Spain, on November 13 – 20, 2024, and the companion Power of Women’s Sports Summit will be hosted on November 20.
Accessibility means knocking down velvet ropes and removing barriers. e.l.f. is doing just that by showing up in unexpected places and opening them to a wider community. The brand’s commitment to empowering legendary females—on the tennis court, at the racetrack with Indy 500 driver Katherine Legge, on the ice with Kendall Coyne Schofield, in the pool with Anastasia Pagonis, in the boardroom with the Change the Board Game initiative, and elsewhere—fuels its vision to disrupt norms, shape culture, and connect communities through positivity, inclusivity, and accessibility.
“84% of sports fans are interested in women’s sports – 49% of them are women – and yet only 15% of media coverage is women’s sports. The math is not mathing. So, we are causing an e.l.f.ing racket to help democratize the playing field. You can’t create real equality if the awareness to build a fan base isn’t there. e.l.f. is stepping up to help shape the conversation. By creating access, we inspire change and empower others to do the same,” said Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty.
e.l.f. is the exclusive skin and cosmetic partner at the BJKC, the first annual global sporting competition named after a woman, bringing a strong message of empowerment to the event. The companion Power of Women’s Sports Summit will bring 100 of the most influential change makers in sports, business and entertainment together on a global stage to celebrate progress and raise awareness of the ongoing journey for advancing gender equality in sports and the positive impact it has on athletes, fans and potential sponsors.
“e.l.f. champions diversity and believes that self-expression is the key to unlocking beauty for any individual. The brand’s ethos aligns seamlessly with the Billie Jean King Cup’s commitment to excellence, equality, and empowerment, and we are thrilled to welcome them as a partner,” said Billie Jean King Cup Limited Chair, Ilana Kloss.
“Their dedication to inclusivity and impact mirrors our mission to promote equality and excellence in women’s sports. This partnership will inspire athletes and fans alike, highlighting the beauty of diversity and the strength of unity,” Kloss continues.
e.l.f. is a founding partner of iHeartMedia’s recently launched iHeart Women’s Sports Audio Network, the first audio platform dedicated exclusively to women’s sports designed to amplify well-known and new influential women athletes and relevant programming to listeners nationwide. As part of its partnership, e.l.f. will host a live recording of “The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast” in the fan zone at the summit.
“We’re thrilled to strengthen our partnership with e.l.f. and join forces to create a racket around the need for more equality for women in sports by bringing the power of iHeart’s massive audio audiences together with tennis icons like Billie Jean King and Rennae Stubbs who paved the way for women to take the court when no one believed,” said Gayle Troberman, CMO for iHeartMedia.
“Today, there is momentum, but still so much more work to be done before women who want to compete can do so on a level playing field -- this is why iHeart Women’s Sports is such an important platform for us to give the mic to everyone who needs to get heard on this topic.”
The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge
Twelve national teams play in one location over six days for the right to be crowned champions at the tournament finals. The Cup, founded in 1963 as the Federation Cup, was renamed for Billie Jean King in 2020. It is the only tennis competition that provides all the nations who participate with money to continue to fund tennis programs, ensuring an unprecedented platform for creating opportunities and changing lives.
Power of Women’s Sports Summit
The Power of Women’s Sports Summit produced by Billie Jean King Enterprises is the inaugural convening of inspirational leaders, athletes, and movement makers across the world of sports, business and entertainment, all united by a shared commitment to accelerating the progress in women’s sports as a marketplace.
Confirmed participants at the invitational summit include Billie Jean King; Sports Icon & Social Justice Champion, Christiane Amanpour; Chief International Anchor for CNN, Malala Yousafzai; Global Education Activist, and many more to be announced soon.
CNN is the official media partner for the Power of Women’s Sports Summit.
About iHeartMedia, Inc.
iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 90% of Americans every month. iHeart’s broadcast radio assets alone have more consumer reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the reach of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled reach of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next two podcast publishers combined and has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services.
About e.l.f. Beauty
e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) is fueled by a belief that anything is e.l.f.ing possible. We are a different kind of company that disrupts norms, shapes culture and connects communities, committed to positivity, inclusivity and accessibility. Our mission is clear: to make the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip, face and skin concern. e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. SKIN, Keys Soulcare, Well People and NATURIUM are led by purpose, driven by results and elevated by our superpowers. e.l.f. Beauty has double Cruelty Free certifications from both Leaping Bunny and PETA, offers e.l.f. clean and vegan products, and proudly stands as the first beauty company to achieve Fair Trade certification across our supply chain. A kind heart is at the center of our ethos: We donate 2% of net profits to organizations that make positive impacts. Learn more at www.elfbeauty.com
About Billie Jean King Cup LTD
Billie Jean King Cup Limited is a partnership between the International Tennis Federation and TWG Global created to deliver transformative investment and innovation to the Billie Jean King Cup, the women’s World Cup of Tennis. Bringing together expertise and experience from the tennis, business, and entertainment industries, our core mission is to grow and leverage the world’s most popular annual team competition for women as a platform for positive change.
