🔗 Share this article

As a product discovered over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the simple jar of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an marketing transformation, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and reducing expenditure on advertising goods in traditional media.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers rubbing their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Now, a flood of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

Hailed as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for squeaky doors. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips by having their research teams evaluate the claims and letting the content creators in on the results.

Suggestions that it lessened the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Claims that it would brighten smiles or extend lashes were disproven.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

The company's social media lead, who is leading the online push, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and sharing usage tips.

“There’s this moving away from a broadcast model, 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, however, they are large.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by users, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The approach indicates profound shifts occurring in how media is consumed, with younger consumers spending more time on digital networks than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in declines in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, ad revenues for leading TV channels have declined by over six hundred million pounds in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention 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.

“A lot of brands are telling us people trust recommendations from the creators they engage with compared to commercial messages. This is a persistent pattern.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to see what works.

Such methods are increasing. Advertising spending on the creator economy is increasing four times faster than the broader media sector. In the US, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Regardless of the massive shift, industry figures said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to frame public debate.

Sykes said: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”