‘Online Monitoring’: Unilever Aims to Harness Vaseline’s TikTok Moment.

As a product discovered over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the simple jar of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for social media algorithms.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a TikTok talking point has thrust it into the lead of an marketing transformation, in which large companies are spending big on content creators and reducing expenditure on promoting products in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially 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 content from users have chronicled its broad application in “practical tricks”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or making fragrance last longer, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, strategists within the corporation enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and letting the content creators in on the results.

Assertions that it diminished the sting of chili on the mouth were confirmed. This was also the case for ideas it could extend fragrance and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Billboards and TV ads would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to inform business strategy has been labeled “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

Selina Sykes, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without dampening the fun” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, since the era of community gossip and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, yet they are vast.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

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 shift is reflected in falling revenues for TV and print advertising. In the UK, ad revenues for primary networks have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

It also reflects a media convergence as large companies almost become production houses themselves, collaborating with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention from conventional channels and they are dedicating far more hours to digital video and image apps than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Many companies report to us audiences believe endorsements from the creators they engage with more than they trust ads. It's an ongoing shift.”

He said brands could also save money by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to see what works.

Such methods are increasing. Promotional expenditure on influencer marketing is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has over doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Regardless of the massive shift, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to drive countrywide discourse.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”