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First identified more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a TikTok talking point has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, in which large companies are allocating substantial funds to content creators and putting fewer resources into advertising goods in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers rubbing their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

Hailed as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Spotting its digital renaissance, marketers at Unilever amplified the hacks by asking their own scientists to test them and sharing the findings with influencers.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and revive leather bags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were refuted.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, recently appointed, has suggested it is aiming to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on digital creator content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of engaging audiences. She said interacting online “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, since the era of community gossip and sharing usage tips.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these groups seem specialized, however, they are large.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by other people, talked about by other people, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

This plan mirrors dramatic transformations occurring in how media is consumed, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than legacy broadcast and print media.

The shift is reflected in drops in TV and print advertising. Within the United Kingdom, advertising income 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 media convergence as brands effectively act as media producers, linking up with hundreds of content creators to enhance their items.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and they’re spending a lot more time on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“A lot of brands are telling us people trust recommendations from the creators they engage with compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than the broader media sector. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Regardless of the massive shift, experts said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to frame public debate.

She added: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”