Originally found more than 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the humble pot of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for digital platform algorithms.
Yet the brand’s emergence as a popular subject on TikTok has placed it at the forefront of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and reducing expenditure on promoting products in conventional outlets.
The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have recorded its extensive utilization in “practical tricks”.
Hailed as a solution for polishing footwear or extending perfume longevity, along with a cure for creaky hinges. Its use has even extended to stop the scourge of snack dust adhering to hands.
Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever enhanced the tricks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.
Suggestions that it lessened the sensation of spicy food on lips were confirmed. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could bleach teeth or make eyelashes longer were refuted.
Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. Yet this viral episode has persuaded leaders to ramp up funding for content creators.
This monitoring of online platforms to inform business strategy has been dubbed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on social media content.
Selina Sykes, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of reaching consumers. She said engaging on social media “without killing the party” was essential.
“What is the key to genuine brand integration? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.
“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, yet they are vast.
“Ensuring your product is discussed by users, recommended by peers, this builds credibility and connection. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”
This plan mirrors profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic spending more time on social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.
This change is evidenced by declines in traditional media advertising. In the UK, commercial funding for primary networks have declined by over six hundred million pounds in real terms since 2019.
It also reflects a media convergence as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.
A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers from conventional channels and they’re spending a lot more time on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.
“A lot of brands are telling us audiences believe endorsements from the personalities they subscribe to compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”
He noted companies can reduce costs by targeting content creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to test effectiveness.
Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on the creator economy is increasing four times faster than the broader media sector. Across the United States, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.
Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as broadcasters retained the power to shape the national conversation.
She added: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”
