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

Originally found more than 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an clear candidate for digital platform algorithms.

However, its rise as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, where major corporations are investing heavily in content creators and putting fewer resources into advertising goods in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

First created commercially in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers applying to their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of content from users have chronicled its broad application in “life hacks”.

Hailed as a remedy for cleaning shoes or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for noisy doorways. Its use has even extended to prevent the annoyance of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips by having their research teams evaluate the claims and letting the content creators in on the results.

Assertions that it diminished the burn from hot food on the lips were confirmed. So too were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and revive leather bags. Claims that it would whiten teeth or extend lashes were disproven.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. Yet this viral episode has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This observation of social channels to guide corporate planning has been labeled “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on digital creator content.

Evolving With Audience Behavior

The company's social media lead, who is leading the online push, said the company was merely adjusting to novel methods of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without spoiling the atmosphere” 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 talking about what they used.

“The trend is shifting from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Today, it's numerous dialogues, many communities. Changes in digital feeds means that these groups seem specialized, yet they are vast.

“Having your brand advocated by other people, talked about by other people, this builds credibility and connection. Creators are critical to that. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects seismic changes occurring in how media is consumed, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to digital networks than television, magazines or radio.

This change is evidenced by declines in traditional media advertising. In the UK, ad revenues for major broadcasters have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

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

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are viewing scheduled television or reading physical magazines.

“A lot of brands are telling us consumers have more faith in suggestions 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 expensive broadcast campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to see what works.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. In the US, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Even with this transformation, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as networks still held the capability to shape the national conversation.

She added: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still the Super Bowl. It's not a matter of networks declaring: ‘Oh, we’re not relevant any more.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … I believe there is absolutely a role for them.”