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First identified more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline might not appear as an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has thrust it into the lead of an advertising revolution, seeing big businesses investing heavily in content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of content from users have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for squeaky doors. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Harnessing the Hype

Noticing its viral resurgence, marketers at Unilever enhanced the tricks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and restore leather handbags. Suggestions it could whiten teeth or make eyelashes longer were refuted.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. However, this online trend has persuaded leaders to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of engaging audiences. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was crucial.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and talking about what they used.

“The trend is shifting from a broadcast model, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. Changes in digital feeds means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“Having your brand advocated by users, mentioned by individuals, 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 profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences spending more time on apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in falling revenues for traditional media advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for major broadcasters have dropped substantially in real terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as brands effectively act as media producers, partnering with numerous influencers to boost their products.

Leon Harlow said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences out of certain traditional media outlets and they are dedicating far more hours to social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the personalities they subscribe to compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by targeting content creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

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

Sykes said: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”