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As a product discovered over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a popular subject on TikTok has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and devoting less capital to promoting products in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers rubbing their skin with a derivative of drilling. Today, a spree of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, along with a cure for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, strategists within the corporation amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the burn from hot food on the lips were given the thumbs up. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. Yet this viral episode 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”. The company's chief executive, newly named, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

The company's social media lead, who is leading the online push, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without dampening the fun” was essential.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, since the era of community gossip and talking about what they used.

“The trend is shifting from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. The shift of the algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, but they’re not.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by other people, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Creators are critical to that. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by drops in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for leading TV channels have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with numerous influencers to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention out of certain traditional media outlets and they are dedicating far more hours to social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Numerous corporations inform us audiences believe endorsements from the creators they engage with more than they trust ads. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures 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 growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. In the US, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach substantial figures in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Regardless of the massive shift, executives said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to shape the national conversation.

Sykes said: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”