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Originally found over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a popular subject on TikTok has placed it at the forefront of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and putting fewer resources into advertising goods in conventional outlets.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

First created commercially in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers using on their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, as well as a fix for squeaky doors. Users have even applied it to combat the nuisance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Spotting its digital renaissance, strategists within the corporation enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could extend fragrance and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were debunked.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to inform business strategy has been dubbed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

Selina Sykes, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without spoiling the atmosphere” was essential.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

“We are witnessing a departure from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, yet they are vast.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by consumers, mentioned by individuals, this builds credibility and connection. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors dramatic transformations taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

The transition is visible in drops in traditional media advertising. Within the United Kingdom, advertising income for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

It also reflects a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, partnering with numerous influencers to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers away from some legacy media and they are dedicating far more hours to social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“A lot of brands are telling us people trust recommendations from the individuals they follow over traditional advertisements. This is a persistent pattern.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to see what works.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on influencer marketing is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Regardless of the massive shift, experts said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as networks still held the capability to shape the national conversation.

Sykes said: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still major broadcast spectacles. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”