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First identified more than 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the simple jar of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for digital platform algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a popular subject on TikTok has thrust it into the lead of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in traditional media.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

First created commercially in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of content from users have chronicled its broad application in “practical tricks”.

Hailed as a fix for dirty sneakers or extending perfume longevity, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. 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 tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Suggestions that it lessened the sting of chili on the mouth were confirmed. This was also the case for ideas it could lengthen scent duration and rejuvenate purses. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or extend lashes were disproven.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has persuaded leaders to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been dubbed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, newly named, has indicated the goal is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without spoiling the atmosphere” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, many communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these audiences appear specific, however, they are large.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by consumers, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The strategy reflects seismic changes happening in audience habits, with younger consumers allocating more attention to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

The shift is reflected in drops in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, ad revenues for primary networks have fallen by more than £600m in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as corporations essentially turn into content studios, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences out of certain traditional media outlets and they’re spending a lot more time on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“A lot of brands are telling us audiences believe endorsements from the individuals they follow over traditional advertisements. This is a persistent pattern.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by targeting content creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Advertising spending on the creator economy is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Despite the huge changes, industry figures said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to shape the national conversation.

She added: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”