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First identified more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the simple jar of Vaseline may not seem like an clear candidate for social media algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a TikTok talking point has thrust it into the lead of an advertising revolution, where major corporations are allocating substantial funds to content creators and reducing expenditure on promoting products in traditional media.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

First created commercially in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers rubbing their skin with a derivative of drilling. Now, a flood of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for squeaky doors. Its use has even extended to prevent the annoyance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips by asking their own scientists to test them and letting the content creators in on the results.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. So too were ideas it could prolong perfume and revive leather bags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or extend lashes were disproven.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. However, this online trend has led decision-makers to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to guide corporate planning has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

Selina Sykes, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without dampening the fun” was essential.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

“We are witnessing a departure from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, many communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“Having your brand advocated by users, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations occurring in how media is consumed, with the youth demographic devoting greater hours to apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by falling revenues for TV and print advertising. Within the United Kingdom, ad revenues for major broadcasters have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, partnering with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention away from some legacy media and they are dedicating far more hours to digital video and image apps than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“A lot of brands are telling us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the creators they engage with compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

Such methods are increasing. Advertising spending on influencer marketing is rising at quadruple the rate than total media spending. In the US, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach tens of billions in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Even with this transformation, executives said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as networks still held the capability to frame public debate.

The executive noted: “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 … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”