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As a product discovered over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for social media algorithms.

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

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Noticing its viral resurgence, executives at the multinational boosted the tips by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sting of chili on the mouth were given the thumbs up. This was also the case for ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were disproven.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. Yet this viral episode has helped convince executives to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been labeled “social listening”. The company's chief executive, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

The company's social media lead, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of engaging audiences. She said interacting online “without spoiling the atmosphere” was essential.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Now it’s many conversations, many communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these audiences appear specific, but they’re not.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by users, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects seismic changes taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to apps like TikTok and Instagram than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in falling revenues for broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, commercial funding for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.

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 consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the creators they engage with over traditional advertisements. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures 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. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than total media spending. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Regardless of the massive shift, experts said they believed television commercials still played a key part to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

She added: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still major broadcast spectacles. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”