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First identified over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for social media algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in conventional outlets.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for creaky hinges. Users have even applied it to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, strategists within the corporation enhanced the tricks by having their research teams evaluate the claims and sharing the findings with influencers.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or extend lashes were refuted.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has stated the intention is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is leading the online push, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said interacting online “without killing the party” was paramount.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and talking about what they used.

“The trend is shifting from a mass communication approach, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. Changes in digital feeds means that these audiences appear specific, yet they are vast.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by other people, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

This plan mirrors profound shifts happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to digital networks than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in drops in TV and print advertising. Across Britain, advertising income 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

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as brands effectively act as media producers, partnering with a multitude of digital creators to promote their goods.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are watching live TV or reading print.

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

He said brands could also save money by focusing on influencers over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to see what works.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on the creator economy is rising at quadruple the rate than total media spending. In the US, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is projected to reach substantial figures in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

Sykes said: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”