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Originally found over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has thrust it into the lead of an advertising revolution, in which large companies are investing heavily in content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in traditional media.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of user-generated videos have recorded its extensive utilization in “everyday tips”.

Hailed as a fix for dirty sneakers or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for noisy doorways. Its use has even extended to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever amplified the hacks by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the burn from hot food on the lips were confirmed. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or extend lashes were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has led decision-makers to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, freshly instated, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on platform-based material.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

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

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, since the era of community gossip and sharing usage tips.

“We are witnessing a departure from a broadcast model, where we would just broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, various groups. The shift of the algorithms means that these communities feel niche, yet they are vast.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by consumers, recommended by peers, this builds credibility and connection. Creators are critical to that. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The strategy reflects profound shifts occurring in how media is consumed, with the youth demographic devoting greater hours to apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The transition is visible in declines in TV and print advertising. In the UK, ad revenues for major broadcasters have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

This further signifies a merging of functions as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with hundreds of content creators to boost their products.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention away from some legacy media and they are dedicating far more hours to digital video and image apps than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“A lot of brands are telling us audiences believe endorsements from the creators they engage with over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by investing in creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Advertising spending on influencer marketing is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. In the US, it has over doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach substantial figures in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Even with this transformation, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as networks still held the capability to frame public debate.

Sykes said: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still major broadcast spectacles. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”