First identified more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the simple jar of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for digital platform algorithms.
Yet the brand’s emergence as a TikTok talking point has placed it at the forefront of an marketing transformation, where major corporations are investing heavily in content creators and reducing expenditure on marketing items in legacy broadcasters.
The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of content from users have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.
Promoted as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for creaky hinges. Its use has even extended to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.
Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and letting the content creators in on the results.
Claims that Vaseline reduced the burn from hot food on the lips were given the thumbs up. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or extend lashes were debunked.
Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.
This monitoring of online platforms to shape commercial tactics has been dubbed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, newly named, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on digital creator content.
A leading Unilever executive, who is leading the online push, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without spoiling the atmosphere” was paramount.
“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and sharing usage tips.
“The trend is shifting from a one-to-many model, where we would just broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, many communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, yet they are vast.
“Ensuring your product is discussed by other people, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”
The strategy reflects dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with younger consumers devoting greater hours to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.
This change is evidenced by drops in TV and print advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for major broadcasters have fallen by more than £600m in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.
Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with numerous influencers to enhance their items.
A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention from conventional channels and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.
“A lot of brands are telling us audiences believe endorsements from the personalities they subscribe to more than they trust ads. This is a persistent pattern.”
He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.
The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. In the US, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.
Despite the huge changes, experts said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as broadcasters retained the power to drive countrywide discourse.
Sykes said: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still major broadcast spectacles. 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.”
A tech enthusiast and digital strategist with over a decade of experience in emerging technologies and innovation consulting.