🔗 Share this article

As a product discovered more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the simple jar of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for social media algorithms.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, where major corporations are investing heavily in content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in conventional outlets.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers using on their skin with a derivative of drilling. Currently, a wave of amateur-created clips have chronicled its broad application in “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or making fragrance last longer, and also a remedy for squeaky doors. Its use has even extended to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, strategists within the corporation amplified the hacks by asking their own scientists to test them and sharing the findings with influencers.

Suggestions that it lessened the burn from hot food on the lips were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could extend fragrance and rejuvenate purses. Claims that it would whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. Yet this viral episode has persuaded leaders to ramp up funding for content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms 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 social media content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

Selina Sykes, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

“We are witnessing a departure from a mass communication approach, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, various groups. Changes in digital feeds means that these audiences appear specific, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by users, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with the youth demographic spending more time on digital networks than legacy broadcast and print media.

This change is evidenced by falling revenues for TV and print advertising. In the UK, advertising income for major broadcasters have declined by over six hundred million pounds in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

This further signifies a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, 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 away from some legacy media and their time is increasingly on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“A lot of brands are telling us audiences believe endorsements from the personalities they subscribe to more than they trust ads. This is a persistent pattern.”

He said brands could also save money by targeting content creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on influencer marketing is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Regardless of the massive shift, experts said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as broadcasters retained the power to drive countrywide discourse.

She added: “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.”