‘Social Listening’: Unilever Seeks to Capitalise On Vaseline’s TikTok Moment.

First identified over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are allocating substantial funds to content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in legacy broadcasters.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

Originally produced in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who noticed oil rig workers applying to their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “practical tricks”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or extending perfume longevity, along with a cure for squeaky doors. Users have even applied it to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation amplified the hacks by tasking their in-house experts with verification and letting the content creators in on the results.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were validated. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and rejuvenate purses. Proposals that it might bleach teeth or make eyelashes longer were debunked.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. But the Vaseline phenomenon has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on digital creator content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

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 killing the party” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and talking about what they used.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just transmit messages … Now it’s many conversations, many communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, yet they are vast.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Content makers are key. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

This plan mirrors seismic changes happening in audience habits, with younger consumers devoting greater hours to social media platforms than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in drops in TV and print advertising. In the UK, advertising income for major broadcasters have dropped substantially in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a media convergence as large companies almost become production houses themselves, collaborating with hundreds of content creators to boost their products.

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers out of certain traditional media outlets and they are dedicating far more hours to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“Many companies report to us people trust recommendations from the creators they engage with compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by investing in creators over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also permits simpler message refinement to gauge performance.

This strategy is expanding. Marketing investment on influencer marketing 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 tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Regardless of the massive shift, experts said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to drive countrywide discourse.

The executive noted: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still major broadcast spectacles. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”