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Originally found over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an clear candidate for digital platform algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a popular subject on TikTok has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses investing heavily in content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “practical tricks”.

Hailed as a solution for polishing footwear or extending perfume longevity, along with a cure for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Spotting its digital renaissance, executives at the multinational amplified the hacks by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Assertions that it diminished the sting of chili on the mouth were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might bleach teeth or make eyelashes longer were disproven.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. However, this online trend has helped convince executives to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to guide corporate planning has been dubbed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, newly named, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on social media content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

Selina Sykes, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of reaching consumers. She said interacting online “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

“We are witnessing a departure from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, but they’re not.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by other people, talked about by other people, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Influencers are vital for this. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The approach indicates seismic changes happening in audience habits, with the youth demographic devoting greater hours to apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

This change is evidenced by drops in broadcast and newspaper ads. Across Britain, advertising income for primary networks have fallen by more than £600m in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

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

Leon Harlow said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets 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 over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He said brands could also save money by targeting content creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Even with this transformation, industry figures 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 events like the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”