‘Social Listening’: Unilever Looks to Exploit Vaseline’s TikTok Moment.

As a product discovered over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the simple jar of Vaseline may not seem like an clear candidate for online content feeds.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a popular subject on TikTok has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, where major corporations are spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into marketing items in legacy broadcasters.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

Originally produced in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Now, a flood of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “everyday tips”.

Hailed as a solution for polishing footwear or making fragrance last longer, and also a remedy for creaky hinges. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Noticing its viral resurgence, executives at the multinational amplified the hacks by asking their own scientists to test them and letting the content creators in on the results.

Suggestions that it lessened the sensation of spicy food on lips were confirmed. Similarly supported were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might brighten smiles or extend lashes were debunked.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have been the cornerstone of its marketing push. But the Vaseline phenomenon has led decision-makers to turbocharge spending on content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to shape commercial tactics has been termed “social listening”. Fernando Fernández, newly named, has stated the intention is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on social media content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

Selina Sykes, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of connecting with customers. She said participating on platforms “without killing the party” was essential.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and sharing usage tips.

“We are witnessing a departure from a one-to-many model, where we would just broadcast out … Today, it's numerous dialogues, various groups. Changes in digital feeds means that these audiences appear specific, but they’re not.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by users, recommended by peers, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Influencers are vital for this. We are expanding this endorsement system.”

A Seismic Media Shift

The approach indicates dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with Gen Z and millennial audiences allocating more attention to apps like TikTok and Instagram than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in drops in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, advertising income for major broadcasters have declined by over six hundred million pounds in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as brands effectively act as media producers, collaborating with a multitude of digital creators to boost their products.

Leon Harlow said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“Many companies report to us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the creators they engage with over traditional advertisements. That’s a consistent trend.”

He said brands could also save money by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Promotional expenditure on digital creator partnerships is rising at quadruple the rate than the media industry overall. Across the United States, it has increased by over 100% since 2021 and is forecast to attain substantial figures in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

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 frame public debate.

Sykes said: “A top-tier ROI marketing event 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 … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”

‘Social Listening’: Unilever Looks to Exploit Vaseline’s TikTok Moment.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

Harnessing the Hype

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

A Seismic Media Shift

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Traditional Media's Continued Place

July 2026 Blog Roll

June 2026 Blog Roll

May 2026 Blog Roll

April 2026 Blog Roll

March 2026 Blog Roll

February 2026 Blog Roll

January 2026 Blog Roll

December 2025 Blog Roll

November 2025 Blog Roll

October 2025 Blog Roll

Popular Posts

Sponsored News