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As a product discovered more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an clear candidate for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a TikTok talking point has thrust it into the lead of an advertising revolution, in which large companies are spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

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. Now, a flood of content from users have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and sharing the findings with influencers.

Assertions that it diminished the sting of chili on the mouth were validated. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

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

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, freshly instated, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

Selina Sykes, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without killing the party” was essential.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and sharing usage tips.

“The trend is shifting from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, many communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“Having your brand advocated by users, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Influencers are vital for this. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors seismic changes happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to social media platforms than legacy broadcast and print media.

The shift is reflected in declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. Within the United Kingdom, advertising income for leading TV channels have declined by over six hundred million pounds in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with hundreds of content creators to enhance their items.

Leon Harlow said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences from conventional channels and they’re spending a lot more time on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“A lot of brands are telling us people trust recommendations from the individuals they follow compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. In the US, it has over doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach tens of billions in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to frame public debate.

Sykes said: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still major broadcast spectacles. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”