🔗 Share this article

First identified more than 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the simple jar of Vaseline could hardly be considered an clear candidate for online content feeds.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an marketing transformation, in which large companies are investing heavily in content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in traditional media.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

Originally produced in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

Promoted as a fix for dirty sneakers or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips by tasking their in-house experts with verification and letting the content creators in on the results.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could extend fragrance and revive leather bags. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were refuted.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. But the Vaseline phenomenon has led decision-makers to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has indicated the goal is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A leading Unilever executive, who is leading the online push, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of engaging audiences. She said interacting online “without killing the party” was paramount.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by other people, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

This plan mirrors profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

The shift is reflected in declines in traditional media advertising. In the UK, advertising income for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as brands effectively act as media producers, linking up with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers from conventional channels and they are dedicating far more hours to social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Many companies report to us audiences believe endorsements from the individuals they follow compared to commercial messages. This is a persistent pattern.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than the broader media sector. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach tens of billions in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Even with this transformation, industry figures said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as broadcasters retained the power to drive countrywide discourse.

She added: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”