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As a product discovered more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, in which large companies are spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in conventional outlets.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have recorded its extensive utilization in “practical tricks”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or making fragrance last longer, and also a remedy for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Spotting its digital renaissance, strategists within the corporation enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Suggestions that it lessened the sting of chili on the mouth were confirmed. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Suggestions it could bleach teeth or extend lashes were disproven.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. Yet this viral episode has persuaded leaders to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been dubbed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A leading Unilever executive, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without killing the party” was essential.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and sharing usage tips.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“Having your brand advocated by users, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Creators are critical to that. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects seismic changes occurring in how media is consumed, with younger consumers spending more time on apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The transition is visible in declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. Across Britain, 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 media convergence as brands effectively act as media producers, partnering with hundreds of content creators to enhance their items.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and they are dedicating far more hours to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Numerous corporations inform us audiences believe endorsements from the personalities they subscribe to compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by targeting content creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to see what works.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. Stateside, it has over doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach substantial figures in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

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.

Sykes said: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still major broadcast spectacles. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”