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First identified more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a popular subject on TikTok has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses investing heavily in 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 noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “practical tricks”.

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for creaky hinges. Its use has even extended to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Noticing its viral resurgence, executives at the multinational enhanced the tricks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. So too were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. Yet this viral episode has persuaded leaders to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to guide corporate planning has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

A leading Unilever executive, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without dampening the fun” was essential.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, many communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, however, they are large.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by users, talked about by other people, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The strategy reflects seismic changes happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to apps like TikTok and Instagram than legacy broadcast and print media.

This change is evidenced by declines in traditional media advertising. Within the United Kingdom, ad revenues for leading TV channels have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

It also reflects a blurring of media roles as brands effectively act as media producers, collaborating with numerous influencers to enhance their items.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences away from some legacy media and their time is increasingly on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Many companies report to us people trust recommendations from the personalities they subscribe to more than they trust ads. That’s a consistent trend.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by targeting content creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Marketing investment on the creator economy is increasing four times faster than total media spending. Across the United States, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Despite the huge changes, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”