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Originally found over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a popular subject on TikTok has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and devoting less capital to marketing items in legacy broadcasters.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

First created commercially in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Now, a flood of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

Promoted as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, as well as a fix for squeaky doors. Users have even applied it to prevent the annoyance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

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.

Assertions that it diminished the sting of chili on the mouth were validated. So too were ideas it could prolong perfume and revive leather bags. Suggestions it could bleach teeth or make eyelashes longer were disproven.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Print ads and broadcast spots 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, newly named, has stated the intention is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on social media content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

Selina Sykes, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of engaging audiences. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and talking about what they used.

“We are witnessing a departure from a broadcast model, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, many communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by users, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

This plan mirrors profound shifts happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than legacy broadcast and print media.

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

The Creator Economy Boom

It also reflects a media convergence as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with hundreds of content creators 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’re spending a lot more time on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the personalities they subscribe to over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He said brands could also save money by targeting content creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on influencer marketing is rising at quadruple the rate than the broader media sector. In the US, it has over doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums 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: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”