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Originally found more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline might not appear as an natural focus for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in traditional media.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

First created commercially in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers applying to their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. Users have even applied it to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips by having their research teams evaluate the claims and letting the content creators in on the results.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Claims that it would bleach teeth or lengthen eyelashes were disproven.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. Yet this viral episode has led decision-makers to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A leading Unilever executive, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without spoiling the atmosphere” was essential.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? 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 mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations taking place in media consumption, with younger consumers spending more time on apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

The transition is visible in declines in TV and print advertising. Across Britain, 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

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as brands effectively act as media producers, linking up 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 their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“A lot of brands are telling us audiences believe endorsements from the creators they engage with over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Even with this transformation, industry figures said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

Sykes said: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”