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As a product discovered more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the simple jar of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a popular subject on TikTok has positioned it at the vanguard of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are investing heavily in content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in conventional outlets.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers rubbing their skin with a derivative of drilling. Now, a flood of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. Its use has even extended to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Detecting the product’s new life online, executives at the multinational enhanced the tricks by having their research teams evaluate the claims and providing creators with the outcome data.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were confirmed. So too were ideas it could prolong perfume and revive leather bags. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were refuted.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. However, this online trend has helped convince executives to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on digital creator content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

A leading Unilever executive, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of reaching consumers. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was essential.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? 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 broadcast model, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, many communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, however, they are large.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by users, talked about by other people, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

The transition is visible in falling revenues for traditional media advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for leading TV channels have dropped substantially in real terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as brands effectively act as media producers, linking up with numerous influencers to boost their products.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers away from some legacy media and they’re spending a lot more time on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us people trust recommendations from the individuals they follow over traditional advertisements. It's an ongoing shift.”

He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than the broader media sector. Across the United States, it has over doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Even with this transformation, experts said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance 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 a matter of networks declaring: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”