🔗 Share this article

As a product discovered over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the modest tin of Vaseline may not seem like an obvious target for social media algorithms.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an advertising revolution, in which large companies are spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in traditional media.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Today, a spree of content from users have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or making fragrance last longer, and also a remedy for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Noticing its viral resurgence, executives at the multinational enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and letting the content creators in on the results.

Suggestions that it lessened the sting of chili on the mouth were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Suggestions it could bleach teeth or extend lashes were debunked.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. Yet this viral episode has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, 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 killing the party” was paramount.

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

“We are witnessing a departure from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by consumers, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The approach indicates profound shifts occurring in how media is consumed, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The transition is visible in falling revenues for traditional media advertising. Across Britain, ad revenues for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

It also reflects a media convergence as brands effectively act as media producers, linking up with numerous influencers to enhance their items.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“A lot of brands are telling us people trust recommendations from the personalities they subscribe to compared to commercial messages. This is a persistent pattern.”

He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on the creator economy is rising at quadruple the rate than the broader media sector. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Even with this transformation, industry figures said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to frame public debate.

The executive noted: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still major broadcast spectacles. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”