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As a product discovered over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline might not appear as an natural focus for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has positioned it at the vanguard of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in conventional outlets.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “practical tricks”.

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or extending perfume longevity, along with a cure for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Spotting its digital renaissance, executives at the multinational amplified the hacks by having their research teams evaluate the claims and letting the content creators in on the results.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sting of chili on the mouth were validated. Similarly supported were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would whiten teeth or extend lashes were refuted.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to guide corporate planning has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has indicated the goal is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

Selina Sykes, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without spoiling the atmosphere” was paramount.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“We are witnessing a departure from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by users, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The approach indicates seismic changes occurring in how media is consumed, with younger consumers devoting greater hours to apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in drops in TV and print advertising. Across Britain, ad revenues for leading TV channels have declined by over six hundred million pounds in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

It also reflects a merging of functions as corporations essentially turn into content studios, linking up with numerous influencers to promote their goods.

Leon Harlow said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences out of certain traditional media outlets and they’re spending a lot more time on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Numerous corporations inform us audiences believe endorsements from the personalities they subscribe to over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than the broader media sector. In the US, it has over doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit tens of billions in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to drive countrywide discourse.

The executive noted: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still major broadcast spectacles. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”