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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 obvious target for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has thrust it into the lead of an advertising revolution, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were confirmed. So too were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or extend lashes were refuted.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. But the Vaseline phenomenon has led decision-makers to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been dubbed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has indicated the goal is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of reaching consumers. She said interacting online “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and talking about what they used.

“The trend is shifting from a broadcast model, where we would just broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. 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 other people, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Influencers are vital for this. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic spending more time on apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. Within the United Kingdom, commercial funding for leading TV channels have declined by over six hundred million pounds in actual value since the end of the last decade.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as corporations essentially turn into content studios, partnering with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention away from some legacy media and they are dedicating far more hours to digital video and image apps than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“A lot of brands are telling us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the creators they engage with compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by targeting content creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to gauge performance.

Such methods are increasing. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. In the US, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain substantial figures in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Regardless of the massive shift, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to drive countrywide discourse.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still events like the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”