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As a product discovered over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has thrust it into the lead of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses investing heavily in content creators and reducing expenditure on marketing items in conventional outlets.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or prolonging the scent of perfume, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Noticing its viral resurgence, executives at the multinational boosted the tips by tasking their in-house experts with verification and letting the content creators in on the results.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sting of chili on the mouth were validated. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Claims that it would brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. Yet this viral episode has persuaded leaders to ramp up funding for content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, newly named, has indicated the goal is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of reaching consumers. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. The shift of the algorithms means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by users, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Creators are critical to that. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors profound shifts happening in audience habits, with younger consumers allocating more attention to social media platforms than legacy broadcast and print media.

This change is evidenced by drops in broadcast and newspaper ads. Within the United Kingdom, advertising income for primary networks have fallen by more than £600m in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

It also reflects a merging of functions as large companies almost become production houses themselves, partnering with numerous influencers to boost their products.

Leon Harlow 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 viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“A lot of brands are telling us people trust recommendations from the personalities they subscribe to compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by targeting content creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

Such methods are increasing. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than the broader media sector. In the US, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is projected to reach tens of billions in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Even with this transformation, industry figures said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

Sykes said: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still events like the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”