‘Digital Eavesdropping’: Unilever Aims to Harness Vaseline’s TikTok Moment.

First identified more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an obvious target for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an marketing transformation, in which large companies are spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into advertising goods in legacy broadcasters.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a fix for dirty sneakers or extending perfume longevity, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. Users have even applied it to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Noticing its viral resurgence, marketers at Unilever amplified the hacks 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. So too were ideas it could extend fragrance and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could whiten teeth or extend lashes were disproven.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. But the Vaseline phenomenon has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to shape commercial tactics has been dubbed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

Selina Sykes, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of reaching consumers. She said participating on platforms “without dampening the fun” was crucial.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and talking about what they used.

“We are witnessing a departure from a broadcast model, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, various groups. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by other people, talked about by other people, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Influencers are vital for this. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The approach indicates profound shifts occurring in how media is consumed, with younger consumers allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in drops in traditional media advertising. In the UK, ad revenues for major broadcasters have declined by over six hundred million pounds in real terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

This further signifies a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, linking up with numerous influencers to boost their products.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention out of certain traditional media outlets and they’re spending a lot more time on digital video and image apps than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“A lot of brands are telling us audiences believe endorsements from the individuals they follow over traditional advertisements. This is a persistent pattern.”

He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to gauge performance.

This strategy is expanding. Marketing investment on influencer marketing is increasing four times faster than the broader media sector. Across the United States, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Regardless of the massive shift, executives said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as broadcasters retained the power to shape the national conversation.

The executive noted: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still events like the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”