As a product discovered more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for online content feeds.
However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has placed it at the forefront of an advertising revolution, seeing big businesses allocating substantial funds to content creators and devoting less capital to promoting products in traditional media.
Originally produced in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of content from users have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.
It has been touted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or prolonging the scent of perfume, and also a remedy for creaky hinges. Its use has even extended to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.
Spotting its digital renaissance, marketers at Unilever boosted the tips by having their research teams evaluate the claims and sharing the findings with influencers.
Assertions that it diminished the sting of chili on the mouth were given the thumbs up. So too were ideas it could prolong perfume and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would bleach teeth or extend lashes were debunked.
Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. Yet this viral episode has persuaded leaders to turbocharge spending on content creators.
This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on platform-based material.
A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of reaching consumers. She said interacting online “without killing the party” was crucial.
“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.
“We are witnessing a departure from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Currently, it's countless discussions, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, however, they are large.
“Ensuring your product is discussed by other people, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Influencers are vital for this. We are expanding this endorsement system.”
The approach indicates seismic changes occurring in how media is consumed, with younger consumers spending more time on apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.
The shift is reflected in falling revenues for broadcast and newspaper ads. Across Britain, advertising income for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.
It also reflects a merging of functions as large companies almost become production houses themselves, partnering with a multitude of digital creators to promote their goods.
Leon Harlow said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences from conventional channels and their time is increasingly on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.
“Many companies report to us people trust recommendations from the individuals they follow compared to commercial messages. This is a persistent pattern.”
He noted companies can reduce costs by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to see what works.
The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on the creator economy is growing fourfold quicker than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.
Despite the huge changes, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.
The executive noted: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”
