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As a product discovered more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the simple jar of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for online content feeds.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a TikTok talking point has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in conventional outlets.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

Originally produced in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers rubbing their skin with a derivative of drilling. Now, a flood of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or extending perfume longevity, along with a cure for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to combat the nuisance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Detecting the product’s new life online, strategists within the corporation enhanced the tricks 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 given the thumbs up. Similarly supported were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would bleach teeth or extend lashes were refuted.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. However, this online trend has led decision-makers to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of connecting with customers. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a broadcast model, where we would just broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, various groups. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by consumers, mentioned by individuals, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Influencers are vital for this. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The approach indicates dramatic transformations occurring in how media is consumed, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in drops in broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, commercial funding for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as large companies almost become production houses themselves, 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 are dedicating far more hours to digital video and image apps than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Numerous corporations inform us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the personalities they subscribe to 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 allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. In the US, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Even with this transformation, experts said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

The executive noted: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”