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Originally found more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an clear candidate for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in legacy broadcasters.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever amplified the hacks by having their research teams evaluate the claims and sharing the findings with influencers.

Assertions that it diminished the sting of chili on the mouth were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. But the Vaseline phenomenon has led decision-makers to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been dubbed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, various groups. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by other people, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Creators are critical to that. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects seismic changes happening in audience habits, with younger consumers spending more time on social media platforms than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in falling revenues for broadcast and newspaper ads. Within the United Kingdom, advertising income for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

Leon Harlow said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences away from some legacy media and their time is increasingly on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the individuals they follow more than they trust ads. This is a persistent pattern.”

He said brands could also save money by targeting content creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than the broader media sector. Across the United States, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain substantial figures in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

She added: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”