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As a product discovered more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the simple jar of Vaseline might not appear as an natural focus for online content feeds.

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

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Now, a flood of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

It has been touted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, along with a cure for noisy doorways. Its use has even extended to combat the nuisance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Detecting the product’s new life online, executives at the multinational enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

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 rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has persuaded leaders to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is leading the online push, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without spoiling the atmosphere” was paramount.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, since the era of community gossip and talking about what they used.

“We are witnessing a departure from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, many communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by consumers, mentioned by individuals, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Creators are critical to that. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The approach indicates seismic changes happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to social media platforms than traditional TV, print, or radio.

This change is evidenced by declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. Within the United Kingdom, ad revenues for primary networks have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

It also reflects a merging of functions as brands effectively act as media producers, partnering with numerous influencers to promote their goods.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention out of certain traditional media outlets and they are dedicating far more hours to digital video and image apps than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“A lot of brands are telling us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the personalities they subscribe to over traditional advertisements. This is a persistent pattern.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by targeting content creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

The approach is growing. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. Across the United States, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as broadcasters retained the power to frame public debate.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”