‘Digital Eavesdropping’: The Consumer Goods Giant Aims to Harness Vaseline’s TikTok Moment.

First identified more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the simple jar of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for online content feeds.

However, its rise 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 putting fewer resources into promoting products in legacy broadcasters.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

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 “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, and also a remedy for creaky hinges. Users have even applied it to combat the nuisance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Noticing its viral resurgence, marketers at Unilever enhanced the tricks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the burn from hot food on the lips were confirmed. This was also the case for ideas it could lengthen scent duration and rejuvenate purses. Claims that it would whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were refuted.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. However, this online trend has persuaded leaders to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to shape commercial tactics has been dubbed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, newly named, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad 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 just evolving with contemporary approaches of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without killing the party” was crucial.

“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.

“We are witnessing a departure from a one-to-many model, where we would just transmit messages … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these communities feel niche, yet they are vast.

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

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects profound shifts taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to digital networks than television, magazines or radio.

The shift is reflected in drops in TV and print advertising. Within the United Kingdom, commercial funding for major broadcasters have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

It also reflects a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with numerous influencers to enhance their items.

Leon Harlow said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the personalities they subscribe to more than they trust ads. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. Across the United States, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Regardless of the massive shift, experts 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 events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”