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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.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a TikTok talking point has placed it at the forefront of an marketing transformation, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and reducing expenditure on marketing items in conventional outlets.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

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

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or extending perfume longevity, along with a cure for squeaky doors. Users have even applied it to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Spotting its digital renaissance, marketers at Unilever amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Suggestions that it lessened the sting of chili on the mouth were confirmed. This was also the case for ideas it could lengthen scent duration and rejuvenate purses. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were refuted.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. Yet this viral episode has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to guide corporate planning has been dubbed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, newly named, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on digital creator content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said participating on platforms “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a broadcast model, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by other people, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors dramatic transformations taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

The transition is visible in falling revenues for TV and print advertising. In the UK, ad revenues for leading TV channels have declined by over six hundred million pounds in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

It also reflects a merging of functions as brands effectively act as media producers, collaborating with a multitude of digital creators to promote their goods.

Leon Harlow said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Many companies report to us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the personalities they subscribe to over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by targeting content creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on influencer marketing is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has over doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Despite the huge changes, experts said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as broadcasters retained the power to shape the national conversation.

Sykes said: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still events like the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”