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Originally found over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the modest tin of Vaseline may not seem like an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has positioned it at the vanguard of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and reducing expenditure on advertising goods in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a derivative of drilling. Today, a spree of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Detecting the product’s new life online, executives at the multinational enhanced the tricks by having their research teams evaluate the claims 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 prolong perfume and revive leather bags. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has persuaded leaders to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to guide corporate planning has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of connecting with customers. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was paramount.

“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.

“The trend is shifting from a mass communication approach, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, many communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, yet they are vast.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by users, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The strategy reflects profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by drops in TV and print advertising. Within the United Kingdom, commercial funding for leading TV channels have dropped substantially in actual value since the end of the last decade.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

It also reflects a media convergence as brands effectively act as media producers, collaborating with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention out of certain traditional media outlets and they’re spending a lot more time on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Numerous corporations inform us audiences believe endorsements from the creators they engage with compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

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

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on influencer marketing is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as broadcasters retained the power to shape the national conversation.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”