‘Social Listening’: Unilever Aims to Harness Vaseline’s Social Media Breakthrough.

First identified over 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the modest tin of Vaseline could hardly be considered an natural focus for online content feeds.

Nonetheless, its ascent as a viral TikTok topic has thrust it into the lead of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are allocating substantial funds to content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in legacy broadcasters.

From Oil Rigs to Online Hacks

First created commercially in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have recorded its extensive utilization in “practical tricks”.

It has been touted as a fix for dirty sneakers or making fragrance last longer, along with a cure for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to combat the nuisance of snack dust adhering to hands.

Leveraging the Buzz

Detecting the product’s new life online, strategists within the corporation amplified the hacks by having their research teams evaluate the claims and providing creators with the outcome data.

Claims that Vaseline reduced the sting of chili on the mouth were confirmed. So too were ideas it could extend fragrance and rejuvenate purses. Suggestions it could bleach teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

A Plan Built on ‘Social Listening’

Billboards and TV ads would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. But the Vaseline phenomenon has persuaded leaders to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This observation of social channels to inform business strategy has been dubbed “social listening”. Unilever's CEO, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget 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 simply adapting to new ways of engaging audiences. She said interacting online “without killing the party” was crucial.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a one-to-many model, where we would just broadcast out … Now it’s many conversations, diverse communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“If you can make sure your brand is shared by consumers, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Content makers are key. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Revolutionary Change in Media

This plan mirrors dramatic transformations happening in audience habits, with the youth demographic devoting greater hours to social media platforms than television, magazines or radio.

The shift is reflected in falling revenues for broadcast and newspaper ads. Within the United Kingdom, ad revenues for major broadcasters have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

The Creator Economy Boom

This further signifies a merging of functions as brands effectively act as media producers, linking up with hundreds of content creators to promote their goods.

Leon Harlow said: “Clearly, there is a migration of viewers away from some legacy media and they’re spending a lot more time 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 individuals they follow more than they trust ads. It's an ongoing shift.”

He said brands could also save money by targeting content creators over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to test effectiveness.

Such methods are increasing. Promotional expenditure on the creator economy is rising at quadruple the rate than total media spending. Stateside, it has over doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Despite the huge changes, 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.

She added: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”