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Originally found more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a TikTok talking point has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and devoting less capital to marketing items in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Today, a spree of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

Hailed as a fix for dirty sneakers or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to stop the scourge of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and letting the content creators in on the results.

Assertions that it diminished the burn from hot food on the lips were confirmed. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were disproven.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

The company's social media lead, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without killing the party” 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 sharing usage tips.

“We are witnessing a departure from a broadcast model, where we would just send out ads … Currently, it's countless discussions, many communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by other people, mentioned by individuals, this builds credibility and connection. Influencers are vital for this. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by falling revenues for broadcast and newspaper ads. Within the United Kingdom, ad revenues for primary networks have declined by over six hundred million pounds in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

This further signifies a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, linking up with hundreds of content creators to boost their products.

Leon Harlow said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences from conventional channels and they are dedicating far more hours to digital video and image apps than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Numerous corporations inform us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the individuals they follow compared to commercial messages. This is a persistent pattern.”

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 test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Marketing investment on the creator economy is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has over doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Even with this transformation, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to drive countrywide discourse.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event 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.”