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First identified more than 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the humble pot of Vaseline may not seem like an obvious target for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a popular subject on TikTok has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, where major corporations are investing heavily in content creators and devoting less capital to 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 rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or prolonging the scent of perfume, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Noticing its viral resurgence, executives at the multinational boosted the tips by tasking their in-house experts with verification and letting the content creators in on the results.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. Similarly supported were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or extend lashes were debunked.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been labeled “social listening”. The company's chief executive, freshly instated, has indicated the goal is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

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.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, yet they are vast.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by consumers, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The strategy reflects profound shifts happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences spending more time on social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by declines in TV and print advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

This further signifies a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention from conventional channels 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 people trust recommendations from the personalities they subscribe to more than they trust ads. This is a persistent pattern.”

He said brands could also save money by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than total media spending. Across the United States, 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, executives said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to shape the national conversation.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”