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First identified more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a popular subject on TikTok has thrust it into the lead of an advertising revolution, seeing big businesses investing heavily in content creators and reducing expenditure on advertising goods in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Today, a spree of content from users have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, and also a remedy for noisy doorways. Its use has even extended to prevent the annoyance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Spotting its digital renaissance, marketers at Unilever amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and providing creators with the outcome data.

Suggestions that it lessened the sting of chili on the mouth were validated. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were refuted.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has stated the intention is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of reaching consumers. 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.

“The trend is shifting from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by users, mentioned by individuals, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with younger consumers allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in declines in TV and print advertising. Within the United Kingdom, advertising income for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with numerous influencers to enhance their items.

Leon Harlow said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and they’re spending a lot more time on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

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

He said brands could also save money by focusing on influencers over big traditional media campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to see what works.

The approach is growing. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. Across the United States, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Even with this transformation, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to frame public debate.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still events like the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”