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Originally found over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an clear candidate for digital platform algorithms.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and devoting less capital to promoting products in conventional outlets.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or prolonging the scent of perfume, and also a remedy for squeaky doors. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of snack dust adhering to hands.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Detecting the product’s new life online, executives at the multinational amplified the hacks by having their research teams evaluate the claims and sharing the findings with influencers.

Assertions that it diminished the sting of chili on the mouth were confirmed. Similarly supported were ideas it could prolong perfume and restore leather handbags. Suggestions it could whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were refuted.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. But the Vaseline phenomenon has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been dubbed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

The company's social media lead, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without killing the party” was essential.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, since the era of community gossip and talking about what they used.

“The trend is shifting 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, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by users, mentioned by individuals, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The approach indicates seismic changes happening in audience habits, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, advertising income for major broadcasters have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Creator Economy Boom

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

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers away from some legacy media and they are dedicating far more hours to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the creators they engage with over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Even with this transformation, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as broadcasters retained the power to frame public debate.

Sykes said: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”