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First identified over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline may not seem like an clear candidate for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and devoting less capital to promoting products in legacy broadcasters.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

First created commercially in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of content from users have chronicled its broad application in “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or prolonging the scent of perfume, and also a remedy for squeaky doors. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever boosted the tips by having their research teams evaluate the claims and letting the content creators in on the results.

Suggestions that it lessened the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Proposals that it might bleach teeth or lengthen eyelashes were disproven.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. Yet this viral episode has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on digital creator content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

Selina Sykes, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of connecting with customers. She said participating on platforms “without killing the party” was crucial.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and talking about what they used.

“We are witnessing a departure from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, but they’re not.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by consumers, mentioned by individuals, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations occurring in how media is consumed, with younger consumers allocating more attention to digital networks than legacy broadcast and print media.

This change is evidenced by falling revenues for TV and print advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for primary networks have declined by over six hundred million pounds in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as brands effectively act as media producers, collaborating with hundreds of content creators to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Many companies report to us audiences believe endorsements from the personalities they subscribe to over traditional advertisements. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has over doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach substantial figures in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as broadcasters retained the power to drive countrywide discourse.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”