How Prime Video turned Elle into sparkling brand collaborations that extend beyond the screen

If your feed looks a little pinker and sparklier than usual recently, there's a reason. Elle, the highly anticipated prequel to the iconic Legally Blonde franchise, premiered on July 1 on Prime Video, and its arrival brought more than 10 global brand collaborators, each with a distinct creative vision for how they're showing up inside the world of Elle Woods.

Produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine, the eight-episode coming-of-age series follows Elle Woods in 1995 as she navigates high school before becoming the trailblazer audiences first met 25 years ago. But the cultural moment extends far beyond the screen. For this single title, Prime Video and Amazon Ads assembled brands like Blue Buffalo, Dove, L'Oréal Paris, Nexxus, Shopbop, Sparkling Ice, T-Mobile, uniball, and Victoria's Secret PINK to bring a custom point of view on how their brand connects authentically to this IP. It marks the largest global brand collaborations campaign ever assembled for a single title on Prime Video.

“We are so proud of what we were able to deliver for brands with Elle because it shows what’s possible when world-class IP meets everything Amazon has to offer, from streaming to shopping, devices, live experiences, social, and more,” said Greg Coleman, Head of Integrated Marketing, Amazon MGM Studios. “It’s the biggest brand collaborations campaign we’ve assembled for a single title and provides a blueprint for how brands can show up in culture through entertainment.”

A new model for brand storytelling

There's a major shift happening right now in the advertising world. Brands are moving beyond ad spots and traditional sponsorships into deeper brand collaborations and integrations, and Prime Video, together with Amazon Ads, is paving the way for how that's being done at scale, in a way that feels authentic to the programming and drives real business results.

Every brand collaboration maps to a thematic story pillar within the Elle universe, making them feel like an organic narrative extension of the story. Dove, Nexxus, L'Oréal Paris, and Starbucks all have product integrations woven into the show's storyline, creating moments viewers can discover throughout the season.

The scope is global: L'Oréal Paris alone activated across 10 international markets, with a Lexi Minetree endorsement deal, custom spots that reimagine the "Get Ready With Me" format through a ‘90s lens, and a full 360-degree campaign.

Elle fans were able to shop custom products via Prime Video’s Shop the Show page.

Creativity that lives beyond the screen

What makes these campaigns distinctive is how each brand built something audiences can actually experience, from custom products to immersive tech to shoppable content.

Brand Innovation Lab, the creative team within Amazon Ads, developed custom ad spots for Blue Buffalo, Dove, Nexxus, Sparkling Ice, and T-Mobile—each designed to feel like an extension of the Elle story. L'Oréal Paris and uniball also created custom ad spots.

"The question we always start with is: would fans welcome this?" says Kate McCagg, Global Head, Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab. “Multiple brands entered this one universe, and every touchpoint was designed to feel like it belongs. We built creative that extends the story rather than interrupts it—and when you get that right, the brand earns its place in the cultural moment.”

Amazon also worked with brands on opportunities to extend the collaborations to various parts of the Amazon canvas. For example, fans were able to live the “perfect day” with a girl’s best friend by chatting with Alexa+ in an Elle and Bruiser theme, sponsored by Blue Buffalo. Nexxus gave consumers the chance to try on hairstyles from the ‘90s virtually via AR through their Amazon storefront page. Echo Pop produced an Elle limited-edition speaker. Several brands also created Elle Woods-inspired items that fans could purchase on the Amazon website, including The Elle Pen Set featuring a Pink Puff from uniball, a new Guava Passionfruit Sparkling Ice flavor, a custom clothing and accessory collection from Victoria’s Secret PINK, and a custom clothing and accessory collection from Shopbop. Fans were able to shop these custom products via Prime Video’s Shop the Show page.

“Elle World” brings it all to life

As an additional exciting opportunity for brands to collaborate on this title, on June 20, Prime Video hosted "Elle World," a free one-day immersive event at New York City’s Hall des Lumières that transformed the landmark space into a multi-level, pink-soaked playground celebrating both the new series and the 25th anniversary of Legally Blonde.

The event featured a historic reunion of some of the original film’s cast, surprise musical performances from pop icon Hoku and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, appearances by the cast of Elle, live improv, a "Bend & Snap" drag showcase, Legally Blonde-inspired trivia, and activations anchored by the collaborating brands. L'Oréal Paris hosted mini glam sessions and a retro yearbook portrait studio. Dove created a "Confidence Corner" inspired by Elle Woods' famous pink, scented resume. T-Mobile built a travel experience accessorized with branded boarding passes and luggage tags. Nexxus designed a locker installation stocked with hair essentials. Shopbop offered a first look at its show-inspired collection. And uniball served as the exclusive ink partner, tucking Pink Puff Pens into curated tote bags for every guest.

Programming, advertising, and commerce, all in one place

Because this is Amazon, these campaigns were amplified across the full Amazon canvas, from Amazon Devices to Amazon Live, Fire TV, IMDb, Prime Video, Twitch, and shoppable commerce experiences like Prime Video’s Shop the Show. Many of these touchpoints tie brand storytelling directly back to commerce. It's programming, advertising, and commerce all in one place.

For brands, the ability to get in on a cultural moment of this magnitude in a way that feels authentic is massive. And if these campaigns are the benchmark, they signal exactly where premium entertainment collaborations are headed.