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As a product discovered over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline might not appear as an natural focus for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a popular subject on TikTok has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Now, a flood of content from users have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for creaky hinges. Its use has even extended to stop the scourge of snack dust adhering to hands.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Spotting its digital renaissance, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips by tasking their in-house experts with verification and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the burn from hot food on the lips were given the thumbs up. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or extend lashes were disproven.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has helped convince executives to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on social media content.

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 engaging audiences. She said engaging on social media “without killing the party” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The approach indicates seismic changes happening in audience habits, with younger consumers allocating more attention to social media platforms than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in falling revenues for TV and print advertising. In the UK, advertising income for primary networks have declined by over six hundred million pounds in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences from conventional channels and they’re spending a lot more time on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“A lot of brands are telling us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the individuals they follow 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 allows them to tweak their content more easily to see what works.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on the creator economy is increasing four times faster than the broader media sector. In the US, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to drive countrywide discourse.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still events like the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”