‘Online Monitoring’: The Consumer Goods Giant Looks to Exploit Vaseline’s Viral TikTok Trend.

As a product discovered over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, where major corporations are allocating substantial funds to content creators and devoting less capital to marketing items in conventional outlets.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for squeaky doors. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

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

Suggestions that it lessened the burn from hot food on the lips were given the thumbs up. So too were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were disproven.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. But the Vaseline phenomenon has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This monitoring of online platforms to guide corporate planning has been labeled “social listening”. The company's chief executive, freshly instated, has stated the intention is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on social media content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

A leading Unilever executive, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of reaching consumers. She said engaging on social media “without dampening the fun” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, various groups. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by other people, recommended by peers, this builds credibility and connection. Influencers are vital for this. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The strategy reflects profound shifts happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by drops in broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, commercial funding for major broadcasters have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention from conventional channels and their time is increasingly on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

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

He noted companies can reduce costs by focusing on influencers over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

This strategy is expanding. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit tens of billions in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Regardless of the massive shift, executives said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as networks still held the capability to shape the national conversation.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”