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First identified more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, in which large companies are investing heavily in content creators and devoting less capital to marketing items in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers rubbing their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or making fragrance last longer, and also a remedy for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to combat the nuisance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Spotting its digital renaissance, marketers at Unilever enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Suggestions that it lessened the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. So too were ideas it could prolong perfume and rejuvenate purses. Claims that it would brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. However, this online trend has helped convince executives to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on social media content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

A leading Unilever executive, 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 dampening the fun” was paramount.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“We are witnessing a departure from a broadcast model, where we would just broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, many communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by other people, recommended by peers, this builds credibility and connection. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The approach indicates seismic changes occurring in how media is consumed, with the youth demographic spending more time on digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

This change is evidenced by falling revenues for traditional media advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as corporations essentially turn into content studios, partnering with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention from conventional channels and their time is increasingly on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Numerous corporations inform us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the creators they engage with more than they trust ads. This is a persistent pattern.”

He said brands could also save money by focusing on influencers over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

This strategy is expanding. Promotional expenditure on the creator economy is increasing four times faster than total media spending. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Even with this transformation, experts said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to shape the national conversation.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”