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As a product discovered over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the humble pot of Vaseline may not seem like an obvious target for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses investing heavily in content creators and reducing expenditure on marketing items in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

Hailed as a fix for dirty sneakers or making fragrance last longer, and also a remedy for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Harnessing the Hype

Noticing its viral resurgence, marketers at Unilever boosted the tips by asking their own scientists to test them and sharing the findings with influencers.

Assertions that it diminished the sting of chili on the mouth were confirmed. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and rejuvenate purses. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or make eyelashes longer were refuted.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. However, this online trend has led decision-makers to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of engaging audiences. She said interacting online “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“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.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by consumers, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors seismic changes occurring in how media is consumed, with Gen Z and millennial audiences spending more time on digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in declines in TV and print advertising. Within the United Kingdom, commercial funding for primary networks have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

It also reflects a media convergence as corporations essentially turn into content studios, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and they are dedicating far more hours to social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“A lot of brands are telling us audiences believe endorsements from the creators they engage with compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by targeting content creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to gauge performance.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on the creator economy is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. In the US, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is projected to reach tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

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

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still events like the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”