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As a product discovered over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has thrust it into the lead of an advertising revolution, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and reducing expenditure on promoting products in legacy broadcasters.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

First created commercially in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “practical tricks”.

It has been touted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or prolonging the scent of perfume, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. Its use has even extended to stop the scourge of snack dust adhering to hands.

Harnessing the Hype

Spotting its digital renaissance, executives at the multinational enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were confirmed. This was also the case for ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were debunked.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Print ads and broadcast spots 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 inform business strategy has been labeled “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on social media content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is leading the online push, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. She said interacting online “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.

“We are witnessing a departure from a mass communication approach, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“Having your brand advocated by other people, mentioned by individuals, this builds credibility and connection. Influencers are vital for this. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences spending more time on digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The transition is visible in drops in TV and print advertising. Within the United Kingdom, commercial funding for primary networks have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as brands effectively act as media producers, collaborating with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us audiences believe endorsements from the personalities they subscribe to more than they trust ads. This is a persistent pattern.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

Such methods are increasing. Promotional expenditure on influencer marketing is increasing four times faster than the broader media sector. In the US, it has over doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Despite the huge changes, executives said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to shape the national conversation.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still major broadcast spectacles. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”