‘Online Monitoring’: Unilever Looks to Exploit Vaseline’s TikTok Moment.

First identified more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for digital platform algorithms.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an advertising revolution, seeing big businesses investing heavily in content creators and devoting less capital to promoting products in legacy broadcasters.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

First created commercially 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 “life hacks”.

Hailed as a solution for polishing footwear or prolonging the scent of perfume, and also a remedy for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Harnessing the Hype

Noticing its viral resurgence, marketers at Unilever boosted the tips by asking their own scientists to test them and letting the content creators in on the results.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were confirmed. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and revive leather bags. Suggestions it could bleach teeth or lengthen eyelashes were disproven.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. Yet this viral episode has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been dubbed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on platform-based material.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A leading Unilever executive, who is leading the online push, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of reaching consumers. She said engaging on social media “without killing the party” was essential.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and sharing usage tips.

“The trend is shifting from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these groups seem specialized, but they’re not.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by consumers, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

The strategy reflects dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with younger consumers allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The transition is visible in declines in broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, advertising income for primary networks have dropped substantially in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as large companies almost become production houses themselves, collaborating with numerous influencers to boost their products.

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 consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Numerous corporations inform us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the personalities they subscribe to compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by investing in creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on influencer marketing is rising at quadruple the rate than total media spending. 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 television commercials still played a key part to play, as broadcasters retained the power to frame public debate.

She added: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”