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Originally found more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for social media algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a TikTok talking point has thrust it into the lead of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and reducing expenditure on promoting products in conventional outlets.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

Originally produced in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers using on their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Now, a flood of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “everyday tips”.

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or prolonging the scent of perfume, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Noticing its viral resurgence, marketers at Unilever enhanced the tricks by having their research teams evaluate the claims and sharing the findings with influencers.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. So too were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would whiten teeth or extend lashes were refuted.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

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

This monitoring of online platforms to shape commercial tactics has been dubbed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

The company's social media lead, who is leading the online push, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a broadcast model, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, however, they are large.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by other people, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Influencers are vital for this. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The approach indicates seismic changes taking place in media consumption, with younger consumers devoting greater hours to social media platforms than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in drops in broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, advertising income for primary networks have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

This further signifies a merging of functions as brands effectively act as media producers, partnering with numerous influencers to boost their products.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences from conventional channels and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us audiences believe endorsements from the personalities they subscribe to compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He said brands could also save money by targeting content creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Marketing investment on the creator economy is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. In the US, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Despite the huge changes, industry figures said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

Sykes said: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”