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As a product discovered more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a viral TikTok topic has thrust it into the lead of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and reducing expenditure on promoting products in traditional media.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

First created commercially in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Now, a flood of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Spotting its digital renaissance, strategists within the corporation amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were confirmed. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would 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. Yet this viral episode has led decision-makers to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to guide corporate planning has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on social media content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

Selina Sykes, who is leading the online push, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of reaching consumers. She said interacting online “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This remains our core objective as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and sharing usage tips.

“The trend is shifting from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Now it’s many conversations, many communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these audiences appear specific, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, mentioned by individuals, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Influencers are vital for this. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Seismic Media Shift

This plan mirrors seismic changes occurring in how media is consumed, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

The transition is visible in falling revenues for traditional media advertising. In the UK, commercial funding for major broadcasters have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

It also reflects a merging of functions as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention from conventional channels and their time is increasingly on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the personalities they subscribe to over traditional advertisements. This is a persistent pattern.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than total media spending. Stateside, it has more than 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 networks still held the capability to frame public debate.

Sykes said: “Among the most effective advertising investments 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 think there’s 100% a place for them.”