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As a product discovered more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for online content feeds.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an marketing transformation, in which large companies are allocating substantial funds to content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

First created commercially in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Now, a flood of amateur-created clips have recorded its extensive utilization in “practical tricks”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for squeaky doors. Its use has even extended to combat the nuisance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever boosted the tips by tasking their in-house experts with verification and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the burn from hot food on the lips were validated. Similarly supported were ideas it could prolong perfume and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could bleach teeth or lengthen eyelashes were disproven.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. But the Vaseline phenomenon has persuaded leaders to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to guide corporate planning has been dubbed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is leading the online push, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without spoiling the atmosphere” was crucial.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

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

“Having your brand advocated by users, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

This plan mirrors seismic changes happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to social media platforms than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, ad revenues for primary networks have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Creator Economy Boom

It also reflects a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with hundreds of content creators to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers from conventional channels and their time is increasingly on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us audiences believe endorsements from the individuals they follow over traditional advertisements. This is a persistent pattern.”

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.

The approach is growing. Marketing investment on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. In the US, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to drive countrywide discourse.

Sykes said: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still events like the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”