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As a product discovered more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a popular subject on TikTok has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, where major corporations are allocating substantial funds to content creators and reducing expenditure on marketing items in legacy broadcasters.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers using on their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for squeaky doors. Its use has even extended to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips 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. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and rejuvenate purses. Claims that it would whiten teeth or make eyelashes longer were refuted.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. Yet this viral episode has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been dubbed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has indicated the goal is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A leading Unilever executive, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without killing the party” was crucial.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these groups seem specialized, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Influencers are vital for this. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The approach indicates dramatic transformations taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic devoting greater hours to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

The transition is visible in drops in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

This further signifies a merging of functions as large companies almost become production houses themselves, collaborating with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention away from some legacy media and they’re spending a lot more time on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us people trust recommendations from the individuals they follow compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He said brands could also save money by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to see what works.

The approach is growing. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than total media spending. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Even with this transformation, executives said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”