🔗 Share this article

First identified over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline may not seem like an natural focus for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and reducing expenditure on advertising goods in traditional media.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

Originally produced in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of content from users have recorded its extensive utilization in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, and also a remedy for noisy doorways. Its use has even extended to combat the nuisance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, executives at the multinational enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Suggestions it could whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. Yet this viral episode has persuaded leaders to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on social media content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of connecting with customers. She said participating on platforms “without spoiling the atmosphere” was essential.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and talking about what they used.

“We are witnessing a departure from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, but they’re not.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by consumers, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The strategy reflects profound shifts occurring in how media is consumed, with the youth demographic devoting greater hours to digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. Across Britain, advertising income for primary networks have dropped substantially in real terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as large companies almost become production houses themselves, partnering with numerous influencers to promote their goods.

Leon Harlow said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers away from some legacy media and their time is increasingly on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“A lot of brands are telling us audiences believe endorsements from the personalities they subscribe to over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than total media spending. Across the United States, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed television commercials still played a key part 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 the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”