‘Social Listening’: Unilever Aims to Harness Vaseline’s TikTok Moment.

Originally found more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the simple jar of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a popular subject on TikTok has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, in which large companies are allocating substantial funds to content creators and devoting less capital to advertising goods in conventional outlets.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

First created commercially in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Now, a flood of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or making fragrance last longer, as well as a fix for squeaky doors. Its use has even extended to stop the scourge of snack dust adhering to hands.

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 letting the content creators in on the results.

Assertions that it diminished the sensation of spicy food on lips were confirmed. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Claims that it would brighten smiles or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. However, this online trend has helped convince executives to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been labeled “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, freshly instated, has indicated the goal is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on digital creator content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of engaging audiences. She said engaging on social media “without dampening the fun” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

“The trend is shifting from a broadcast model, where we would just send out ads … Currently, it's countless discussions, various groups. The shift of the algorithms means that these audiences appear specific, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by other people, recommended by peers, this builds credibility and connection. Influencers are vital for this. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The approach indicates dramatic transformations taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic allocating more attention to digital networks than television, magazines or radio.

The shift is reflected in drops in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for major broadcasters have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, linking up with numerous influencers to enhance their items.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention away from some legacy media and they’re spending a lot more time on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“A lot of brands are telling us people trust recommendations from the creators they engage with over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by targeting content creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to see what works.

This strategy is expanding. Marketing investment on digital creator partnerships is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. Across the United States, it has over doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Even with this transformation, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to shape the national conversation.

The executive noted: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still events like the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … I think there’s 100% a place for them.”