🔗 Share this article

Originally found over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a TikTok talking point has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in conventional outlets.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have recorded its extensive utilization in “everyday tips”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. Its use has even extended to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Spotting its digital renaissance, marketers at Unilever amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or extend lashes were disproven.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has helped convince executives to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to inform business strategy has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, recently appointed, has suggested it is aiming to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

Selina Sykes, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and talking about what they used.

“We are witnessing a departure from a one-to-many model, where we would just broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, many communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The approach indicates dramatic transformations occurring in how media is consumed, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in declines in traditional media advertising. Within the United Kingdom, ad revenues for primary networks have declined by over six hundred million pounds in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Creator Economy Boom

This further signifies a media convergence as corporations essentially turn into content studios, partnering with numerous influencers to promote their goods.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and they’re spending a lot more time on 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 more than they trust ads. That’s a consistent trend.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to see what works.

The approach is growing. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than total media spending. Across the United States, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

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.

Sykes said: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still major broadcast spectacles. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”