‘Digital Eavesdropping’: Unilever Seeks to Capitalise On Vaseline’s Viral TikTok Trend.

First identified over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for online content feeds.

However, its rise as a TikTok talking point has positioned it at the vanguard of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are investing heavily in content creators and reducing expenditure on advertising goods in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

Originally produced in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers applying to their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Now, a flood of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or extending perfume longevity, and also a remedy for noisy doorways. Its use has even extended to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, executives at the multinational boosted the tips by having their research teams evaluate the claims and letting the content creators in on the results.

Suggestions that it lessened the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. Similarly supported were ideas it could prolong perfume and revive leather bags. Claims that it would whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

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 helped convince executives to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has suggested it is aiming to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without dampening the fun” was essential.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This remains our core objective as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a broadcast model, where we would just transmit messages … Today, it's numerous dialogues, various groups. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, yet they are vast.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by users, talked about by other people, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The approach indicates profound shifts occurring in how media is consumed, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

The transition is visible in drops in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, advertising income for leading TV channels have fallen by more than £600m in real terms since 2019.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

It also reflects a merging of functions as corporations essentially turn into content studios, partnering with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

A commercial director at a major talent agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention from conventional channels and they are dedicating far more hours to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube 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 compared to commercial messages. That’s a consistent trend.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by targeting content creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also permits simpler message refinement to see what works.

The approach is growing. Marketing investment on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. In the US, it has over 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 television commercials still played a key part to play, as networks still held the capability to shape the national conversation.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”