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First identified over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and reducing expenditure on advertising goods in conventional outlets.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers applying to their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of content from users have recorded its extensive utilization in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or prolonging the scent of perfume, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to combat the nuisance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever amplified the hacks 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 confirmed. This was also the case for ideas it could extend fragrance and rejuvenate purses. Proposals that it might bleach teeth or extend lashes were disproven.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has persuaded leaders to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to shape commercial tactics has been labeled “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on social media content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

The company's social media lead, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was paramount.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? 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 broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, various groups. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations occurring in how media is consumed, with younger consumers devoting greater hours to apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by drops in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, advertising income for primary networks have fallen by more than £600m in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as corporations essentially turn into content studios, linking up with hundreds of content creators to enhance their items.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“A lot of brands are telling us people trust recommendations from the creators they engage with over traditional advertisements. This is a persistent pattern.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by targeting content creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

The approach is growing. Marketing investment on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than the broader media sector. Stateside, it has over doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach substantial figures in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Regardless of the massive shift, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as broadcasters retained the power to shape the national conversation.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”