‘Digital Eavesdropping’: The Consumer Goods Giant Aims to Harness Vaseline’s Social Media Breakthrough.

First identified over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the modest tin of Vaseline might not appear as an clear candidate for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has placed it at the forefront of an advertising revolution, where major corporations are allocating substantial funds to 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 noticed oil rig workers rubbing their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Now, a flood of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a fix for dirty sneakers or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for noisy doorways. Users have even applied it to prevent the annoyance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Harnessing the Hype

Detecting the product’s new life online, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips by tasking their in-house experts with verification and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sensation of spicy food on lips were confirmed. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Claims that it would bleach teeth or lengthen eyelashes were refuted.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Billboards and TV ads would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. But the Vaseline phenomenon has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been dubbed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has stated the intention is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on digital creator content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

Selina Sykes, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of engaging audiences. She said participating on platforms “without killing the party” was essential.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This has perpetually been our aim as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and sharing usage tips.

“The trend is shifting from a one-to-many model, where we would just send out ads … Currently, it's countless discussions, diverse communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these groups seem specialized, however, they are large.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by users, recommended by peers, this builds credibility and connection. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Seismic Media Shift

This plan mirrors dramatic transformations taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic spending more time on apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by falling revenues for traditional media advertising. Across Britain, advertising income for primary networks 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, linking up with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

Leon Harlow said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers 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.

“Numerous corporations inform us people trust recommendations from the individuals they follow compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over large-scale legacy ad buys, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to gauge performance.

The approach is growing. Advertising spending on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. Stateside, it has over doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit substantial figures in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

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

Sykes said: “A top-tier ROI marketing event is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”