‘Social Listening’: The Consumer Goods Giant Aims to Harness Vaseline’s TikTok Moment.

Originally found over 150 years ago within a Pennsylvania drilling site, the humble pot of Vaseline could hardly be considered an clear candidate for online content feeds.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a viral TikTok topic has positioned it at the vanguard of an advertising revolution, seeing big businesses spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into advertising goods in traditional media.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by scientist Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers rubbing their skin with a byproduct of the drilling process. Now, a flood of content from users have chronicled its broad application in “practical tricks”.

Hailed as a fix for dirty sneakers or making fragrance last longer, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. Its use has even extended to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation amplified the hacks by having their research teams evaluate the claims and providing creators with the outcome data.

Assertions that it diminished the burn from hot food on the lips were given the thumbs up. This was also the case for ideas it could prolong perfume and revive leather bags. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or make eyelashes longer were disproven.

The ‘Digital Ear’ Approach

Outdoor advertising and television commercials would once have formed the bulk of its promotional efforts. However, this online trend has persuaded leaders to dramatically increase investment in content creators.

This observation of social channels to shape commercial tactics has been labeled “social listening”. The company's chief executive, freshly instated, has suggested it is aiming to spend a full fifty percent of its huge ad budget on platform-based material.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

A leading Unilever executive, who is spearheading the social media effort, said the company was simply adapting to new ways of engaging audiences. She said engaging on social media “without dampening the fun” was essential.

“How do brands authentically become part of the conversation? This remains our core objective as brands, dating to when neighbors chatted over fences and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just transmit messages … Today, it's numerous dialogues, diverse communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“Ensuring your product is discussed by users, talked about by other people, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Creators are critical to that. This word-of-mouth strategy is being amplified.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects seismic changes taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic spending more time on digital networks than legacy broadcast and print media.

The transition is visible in drops in broadcast and newspaper ads. In the UK, commercial funding for primary networks have dropped substantially in real terms since 2019.

The Creator Economy Boom

Additionally, it points to a merging of functions as corporations essentially turn into content studios, partnering with a multitude of digital creators to enhance their items.

Leon Harlow said: “Obviously there’s a flow of audiences out of certain traditional media outlets and their time is increasingly on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“Many companies report to us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the individuals they follow more than they trust ads. That’s a consistent trend.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by focusing on influencers over big traditional media campaigns, which also allows them to tweak their content more easily to see what works.

Such methods are increasing. Marketing investment on the creator economy is growing fourfold quicker than total media spending. Stateside, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain multi-billion dollar sums in 2025.

Traditional Media's Continued Place

Despite the huge changes, experts said they believed broadcast ads retained significant importance to play, as TV channels continued to possess the influence to drive countrywide discourse.

She added: “Among the most effective advertising investments is still events like the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It’s about who’s capturing attention … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”