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Originally found over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, 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 marketing transformation, in which large companies are allocating substantial funds to content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in conventional outlets.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers applying to their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “everyday tips”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the burn from hot food on the lips were confirmed. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and rejuvenate purses. Claims that it would brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were disproven.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Billboards and TV ads 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 guide corporate planning has been dubbed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on platform-based material.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without killing the party” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, since the era of community gossip and sharing usage tips.

“We are witnessing a departure from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Now it’s many conversations, various groups. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by other people, mentioned by individuals, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to apps like TikTok and Instagram than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. Across Britain, ad revenues for major broadcasters have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as large companies almost become production houses themselves, partnering with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.

Leon Harlow said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers from conventional channels and they’re spending a lot more time on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the personalities they subscribe to more than they trust ads. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also permits simpler message refinement to gauge performance.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on influencer marketing is increasing four times faster than total media spending. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Regardless of the massive shift, executives said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as broadcasters retained the power to shape the national conversation.

Sykes said: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still major broadcast spectacles. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”