🔗 Share this article

First identified over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the humble pot of Vaseline may not seem like an natural focus for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in traditional media.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of content from users have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Noticing its viral resurgence, executives at the multinational enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and sharing the findings with influencers.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. So too were ideas it could extend fragrance and rejuvenate purses. Proposals that it might bleach teeth or extend lashes were refuted.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on social media content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “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 discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, mentioned by individuals, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Influencers are vital for this. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The strategy reflects profound shifts occurring in how media is consumed, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than legacy broadcast and print media.

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

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as brands effectively act as media producers, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences from conventional channels and they are dedicating far more hours to digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the individuals they follow compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He said brands could also save money by targeting content creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on influencer marketing is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Even with this transformation, executives said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as broadcasters retained the power 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: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”