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As a product discovered over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline may not seem like an natural focus for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, in which large companies are allocating substantial funds to content creators and devoting less capital to marketing items in legacy broadcasters.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

Originally produced in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of content from users have recorded its extensive utilization 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. Users have even applied it to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever enhanced the tricks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Billboards and TV ads would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. However, this online trend has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been dubbed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, freshly instated, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A leading Unilever executive, who is leading the online push, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and talking about what they used.

“The trend is shifting from a broadcast model, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, diverse communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these audiences appear specific, but they’re not.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, mentioned by individuals, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The approach indicates profound shifts happening in audience habits, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

The transition is visible in drops in traditional media advertising. In the UK, advertising income for major broadcasters have dropped substantially in actual value since the end of the last decade.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, collaborating with numerous influencers to boost their products.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention away from some legacy media and their time is increasingly on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube 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. This is a persistent pattern.”

He said brands could also save money by focusing on influencers over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to gauge performance.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than total media spending. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is projected to reach substantial figures in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Regardless of the massive shift, experts said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as networks still held the capability to shape the national conversation.

She added: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”