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Originally found more than 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an obvious target for social media algorithms.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a popular subject on TikTok has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, seeing big businesses investing heavily in content creators and reducing expenditure on advertising goods in conventional outlets.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Today, a spree of amateur-created clips have recorded its extensive utilization in “everyday tips”.

It has been touted as a solution for polishing footwear or making fragrance last longer, as well as a fix for creaky hinges. Its use has even extended to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Spotting its digital renaissance, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips by tasking their in-house experts with verification and sharing the findings with influencers.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were given the thumbs up. This was also the case for ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Suggestions it could brighten smiles or make eyelashes longer were refuted.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

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 monitoring of online platforms to inform business strategy has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on social media content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

Selina Sykes, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of engaging audiences. She said engaging on social media “without spoiling the atmosphere” was essential.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do 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 broadcast out … Currently, it's countless discussions, diverse communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“Having your brand advocated by users, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Creators are critical to that. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

This plan mirrors dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences spending more time on digital networks than legacy broadcast and print media.

This change is evidenced by drops in broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, commercial funding for leading TV channels have dropped substantially in actual value since the end of the last decade.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

It also reflects a blurring of media roles as brands effectively act as media producers, collaborating with a multitude of digital creators 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 audiences believe endorsements from the individuals they follow compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

The approach is growing. Advertising spending on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. Stateside, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Despite the huge changes, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as broadcasters retained the power to drive countrywide discourse.

Sykes said: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still events like the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”