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First identified more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a TikTok talking point has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, where major corporations are allocating substantial funds to content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

First created commercially in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of content from users have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for squeaky doors. Users have even applied it to stop the scourge of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, marketers at Unilever boosted the tips by asking their own scientists to test them and sharing the findings with influencers.

Suggestions that it lessened the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. Similarly supported were ideas it could prolong perfume and revive leather bags. Suggestions it could whiten teeth or extend lashes were disproven.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to guide corporate planning has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has suggested it is aiming to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of connecting with customers. She said interacting online “without dampening the fun” 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.

“The trend is shifting from a mass communication approach, where we would just transmit messages … Today, it's numerous dialogues, various groups. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by users, recommended by peers, this builds credibility and connection. Influencers are vital for this. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Seismic Media Shift

This plan mirrors seismic changes taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to digital networks than legacy broadcast and print media.

This change is evidenced by falling revenues for broadcast and newspaper ads. 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

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, partnering with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly 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 compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also enables easier content adjustment to gauge performance.

The approach is growing. Advertising spending on the creator economy is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. Across the United States, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Regardless of the massive shift, experts said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as broadcasters retained the power to shape the national conversation.

Sykes said: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”