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As a product discovered over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “practical tricks”.

Promoted as a fix for dirty sneakers or extending perfume longevity, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to prevent the annoyance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Spotting its digital renaissance, marketers at Unilever 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. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were disproven.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

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

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been dubbed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on digital creator content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without dampening the fun” was essential.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a broadcast model, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, various groups. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, however, they are large.

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

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The strategy reflects seismic changes happening in audience habits, with younger consumers spending more time on digital networks than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in declines in TV and print advertising. Within the United Kingdom, advertising income for major broadcasters have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Creator Economy Boom

It also reflects a media convergence as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with numerous influencers to boost their products.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the creators they engage with more than they trust ads. It's an ongoing shift.”

He said brands could also save money by targeting content creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. In the US, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Despite the huge changes, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as broadcasters retained the power to drive countrywide discourse.

Sykes said: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”