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As a product discovered over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a TikTok talking point has thrust it into the lead of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses investing heavily in content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in traditional media.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

First created commercially in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Now, a flood of amateur-created clips have recorded its extensive utilization in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, as well as a fix for squeaky doors. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Noticing its viral resurgence, marketers at Unilever boosted the tips 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 confirmed. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were disproven.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to inform business strategy has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on digital creator content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

Selina Sykes, who is leading the online push, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without spoiling the atmosphere” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“The trend is shifting from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by consumers, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Influencers are vital for this. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors profound shifts happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences spending more time on apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in drops in broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, ad revenues for major broadcasters have dropped substantially in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

This further signifies a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers from conventional channels and they’re spending a lot more time on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us audiences believe endorsements from the creators they engage with compared to commercial messages. This is a persistent pattern.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by investing in creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than the broader media sector. In the US, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Regardless of the massive shift, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as networks still held the capability to frame public debate.

She added: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still events like the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”