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Originally found more than 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the simple jar of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for digital platform algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a TikTok talking point has positioned it at the vanguard of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and reducing expenditure on marketing items in traditional media.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

Hailed as a solution for polishing footwear or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for squeaky doors. Its use has even extended to stop the scourge of snack dust adhering to hands.

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.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and rejuvenate purses. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without dampening the fun” was essential.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, since the era of community gossip and talking about what they used.

“We are witnessing a departure from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. The shift of the algorithms means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by users, talked about by other people, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Influencers are vital for this. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The strategy reflects profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with younger consumers spending more time on digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in drops in broadcast and newspaper ads. Within the United Kingdom, commercial funding for major broadcasters have declined by over six hundred million pounds in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

This further signifies a merging of functions as brands effectively act as media producers, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention away from some legacy media and they are dedicating far more hours to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us people trust recommendations from the creators they engage with more than they trust ads. This is a persistent pattern.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over big traditional media campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

The approach is growing. Advertising spending on the creator economy is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Regardless of the massive shift, executives said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to shape the national conversation.

Sykes said: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still major broadcast spectacles. 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.”