🔗 Share this article

As a product discovered over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has thrust it into the lead of an promotional upheaval, in which large companies are investing heavily in content creators and reducing expenditure on marketing items in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Now, a flood of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “everyday tips”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to prevent the annoyance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Spotting its digital renaissance, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips 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 given the thumbs up. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and rejuvenate purses. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or make eyelashes longer were disproven.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has led decision-makers to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to inform business strategy has been dubbed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on platform-based material.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

A leading Unilever executive, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of reaching consumers. She said interacting online “without killing the party” was paramount.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Now it’s many conversations, 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 other people, mentioned by individuals, this builds credibility and connection. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The approach indicates dramatic transformations taking place in media consumption, with younger consumers spending more time on social media platforms than traditional TV, print, or radio.

This change is evidenced by declines in TV and print advertising. In the UK, commercial funding for leading TV channels have dropped substantially in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

It also reflects a merging of functions as brands effectively act as media producers, partnering with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers away from some legacy media and they are dedicating far more hours to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Numerous corporations inform us audiences believe endorsements from the individuals they follow over traditional advertisements. It's an ongoing shift.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by targeting content creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also permits simpler message refinement to see what works.

This strategy is expanding. Promotional expenditure on influencer marketing is increasing four times faster than total media spending. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Even with this transformation, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as broadcasters retained the power to shape the national conversation.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”