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As a product discovered more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the simple jar of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a popular subject on TikTok has placed it at the forefront of an advertising revolution, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in traditional media.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for squeaky doors. Its use has even extended to stop the scourge of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever enhanced the tricks 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 confirmed. Similarly supported were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or extend lashes were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without killing the party” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, since the era of community gossip and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a broadcast model, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, many communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by other people, talked about by other people, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

This plan mirrors seismic changes occurring in how media is consumed, with younger consumers allocating more attention to social media platforms than legacy broadcast and print media.

The shift is reflected in falling revenues for broadcast and newspaper ads. Within the United Kingdom, commercial funding for primary networks have declined by over six hundred million pounds in real terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

This further signifies a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to promote their goods.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention out of certain traditional media outlets and they’re spending a lot more time on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“A lot of brands are telling us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the personalities they subscribe to compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also permits simpler message refinement to gauge performance.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on the creator economy is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. In the US, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Even with this transformation, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as broadcasters retained the power to drive countrywide discourse.

The executive noted: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”