🔗 Share this article

As a product discovered over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the simple jar of Vaseline may not seem like an obvious target for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are allocating substantial funds to content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in traditional media.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for creaky hinges. Users have even applied it to stop the scourge of snack dust adhering to hands.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, executives at the multinational boosted the tips by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sting of chili on the mouth were given the thumbs up. So too were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were disproven.

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 observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A leading Unilever executive, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of connecting with customers. She said participating on platforms “without killing the party” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and discussing household products.

“The trend is shifting from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, various groups. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by users, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Influencers are vital for this. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The approach indicates dramatic transformations occurring in how media is consumed, 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, ad revenues for primary networks have dropped substantially in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with numerous influencers to boost their products.

Leon Harlow said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences away from some legacy media and they are dedicating far more hours to 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. This is a persistent pattern.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

The approach is growing. Marketing investment on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has over doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit tens of billions 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 shape the national conversation.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”