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As a product discovered over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the simple jar of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for digital platform algorithms.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are investing heavily in content creators and reducing expenditure on promoting products in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of content from users have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or extending perfume longevity, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. Its use has even extended to stop the scourge of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, executives at the multinational boosted the tips by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Assertions that it diminished the burn from hot food on the lips were confirmed. Similarly supported were ideas it could prolong perfume and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could bleach teeth or make eyelashes longer were debunked.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. 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, recently appointed, has suggested it is aiming to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A leading Unilever executive, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of reaching consumers. She said interacting online “without dampening the fun” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“The trend is shifting from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“Having your brand advocated by other people, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Creators are critical to that. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in drops in TV and print advertising. Across Britain, ad revenues for major broadcasters have dropped substantially in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

This further signifies a media convergence as large companies almost become production houses themselves, collaborating with a multitude of digital creators to promote their goods.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences from conventional channels 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 audiences believe endorsements from the creators they engage with more than they trust ads. This is a persistent pattern.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to gauge performance.

The approach is growing. Advertising spending on the creator economy is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. In the US, it has over doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach substantial figures in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Even with this transformation, industry figures 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 the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”