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First identified over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the modest tin of Vaseline may not seem like an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a popular subject on TikTok has thrust it into the lead of an advertising revolution, in which large companies are investing heavily in content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Today, a spree of user-generated videos have recorded its extensive utilization in “practical tricks”.

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for squeaky doors. It has even been deployed to prevent the annoyance of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, executives at the multinational amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and providing creators with the outcome data.

Suggestions that it lessened the sting of chili on the mouth were given the thumbs up. So too were ideas it could prolong perfume and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could bleach teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. However, this online trend has persuaded leaders to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, recently appointed, has suggested it is aiming to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on digital creator content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of connecting with customers. 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 mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Currently, it's countless discussions, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, yet they are vast.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by other people, talked about by other people, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

This plan mirrors dramatic transformations occurring in how media is consumed, with Gen Z and millennial audiences spending more time on social media platforms than legacy broadcast and print media.

The shift is reflected in drops in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, ad revenues 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

It also reflects a blurring of media roles as large companies almost become production houses themselves, partnering 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 are dedicating far more hours to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Numerous corporations inform us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the creators they engage with more than they trust ads. It's an ongoing shift.”

He said brands could also save money by focusing on influencers over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

The approach is growing. Promotional expenditure on the creator economy is rising at quadruple the rate than total media spending. Across the United States, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is projected to reach substantial figures in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Even with this transformation, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as networks still held the capability to frame public debate.

She added: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities 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 think there’s 100% a place for them.”