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First identified over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the simple jar of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a popular subject on TikTok has placed it at the forefront of an marketing transformation, in which large companies are investing heavily in 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 observed drillers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Now, a flood of content from users have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

It has been touted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or prolonging the scent of perfume, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Noticing its viral resurgence, executives at the multinational amplified the hacks by asking their own scientists to test them and letting the content creators in on the results.

Assertions that it diminished the burn from hot food on the lips were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would whiten teeth or extend lashes were refuted.

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 observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on social media content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

Selina Sykes, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of engaging audiences. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was essential.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? 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 mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Currently, it's countless discussions, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by other people, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The approach indicates dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in falling revenues for traditional media advertising. In the UK, ad revenues for leading TV channels have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

It also reflects a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with a multitude of digital 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 audiences believe endorsements from the individuals they follow more than they trust ads. It's an ongoing shift.”

He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on the creator economy is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. Across the United States, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Regardless of the massive shift, experts said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as networks still held the capability to shape the national conversation.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”