‘Digital Eavesdropping’: Unilever Aims to Harness Vaseline’s Viral TikTok Trend.

First identified more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the simple jar of Vaseline may not seem like an obvious target for social media algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a popular subject on TikTok has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, 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

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers rubbing their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

Hailed as a fix for dirty sneakers or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Spotting its digital renaissance, 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 confirmed. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and rejuvenate purses. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or extend lashes were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, newly named, has indicated the goal is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without spoiling the atmosphere” 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 discussing household products.

“The trend is shifting from a broadcast model, where we would just send out ads … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, yet they are vast.

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

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The approach indicates profound shifts happening in audience habits, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to digital networks than television, magazines or radio.

The transition is visible in falling revenues for TV and print advertising. Within the United Kingdom, advertising income for leading TV channels have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as brands effectively act as media producers, partnering with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences from conventional channels and they are dedicating far more hours to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the personalities they subscribe to more than they trust ads. That’s a consistent trend.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. In the US, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit tens of billions in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Despite the huge changes, experts said they believed television commercials still played a key part 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 events like 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.”