🔗 Share this article

As a product discovered more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the simple jar of Vaseline may not seem like an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an advertising revolution, where major corporations are investing heavily in content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

Originally produced in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of user-generated videos have recorded its extensive utilization in “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever boosted the tips by asking their own scientists to test them and sharing the findings with influencers.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the burn from hot food on the lips were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might bleach teeth or lengthen eyelashes were disproven.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. Yet this viral episode has helped convince executives to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to shape commercial tactics has been labeled “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, newly named, has stated the intention is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on digital creator content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of engaging audiences. She said engaging on social media “without killing the party” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Today, it's numerous dialogues, various groups. The shift of the algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, yet they are vast.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by other people, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Influencers are vital for this. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The approach indicates profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. Across Britain, commercial funding for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as brands effectively act as media producers, partnering with numerous influencers to enhance their items.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers away from some legacy media and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Numerous corporations inform us audiences believe endorsements from the individuals they follow more than they trust ads. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by targeting content creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than the broader media sector. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Regardless of the massive shift, executives said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as broadcasters retained the power to frame public debate.

She added: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”