🔗 Share this article

As a product discovered over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for online content feeds.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an marketing transformation, where major corporations are investing heavily in content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in legacy broadcasters.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

First created commercially in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Today, a spree of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for squeaky doors. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Noticing its viral resurgence, marketers at Unilever boosted the tips by having their research teams evaluate the claims and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the burn from hot food on the lips were given the thumbs up. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would bleach teeth or make eyelashes longer were refuted.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. Yet this viral episode has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, newly named, has stated the intention is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of engaging audiences. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by consumers, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Influencers are vital for this. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

This plan mirrors profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to digital networks than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by declines in TV and print advertising. In the UK, commercial funding for primary networks have declined by over six hundred million pounds in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as corporations essentially turn into content studios, partnering with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and they are dedicating far more hours to digital video and image apps than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the individuals they follow compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also permits simpler message refinement to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Advertising spending on influencer marketing is increasing four times faster than total media spending. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Regardless of the massive shift, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

Sykes said: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still events like the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”