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

Originally found over 150 years ago in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, the humble pot of Vaseline may not seem like an natural focus for social media algorithms.

However, its rise as a popular subject on TikTok has positioned it at the vanguard of an promotional upheaval, where major corporations are allocating substantial funds to content creators and reducing expenditure on advertising goods in conventional outlets.

A Journey from Drilling to Digital

First created commercially in the 1870s by a chemist, Robert Cheeseborough, who observed drillers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Now, a flood of user-generated videos have documented the product’s widespread use in “life hacks”.

Promoted as a remedy for cleaning shoes or extending perfume longevity, as well as a fix for noisy doorways. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of crisp flavouring sticking to fingers.

Harnessing the Hype

Noticing its viral resurgence, strategists within the corporation boosted the tips 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. Similarly supported were ideas it could extend fragrance and restore leather handbags. Proposals that it might whiten teeth or make eyelashes longer were refuted.

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 guide corporate planning has been dubbed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend 50% of its massive marketing spend on social media content.

Adapting to New Consumer Habits

The company's social media lead, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of connecting with customers. She said interacting online “without killing the party” was paramount.

“How can companies join discussions credibly? This remains our core objective as brands, since the era of community gossip and discussing household products.

“There’s this moving away from a mass communication approach, where we would just send out ads … Currently, it's countless discussions, many communities. The shift of the algorithms means that these communities feel niche, but they’re not.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, mentioned by individuals, that is how you can build trust and relevance. Content makers are key. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The strategy reflects seismic changes taking place in media consumption, with Gen Z and millennial audiences devoting greater hours to digital networks than traditional TV, print, or radio.

The shift is reflected in drops in traditional media advertising. Across Britain, commercial funding for primary networks have fallen by more than £600m in actual value since the end of the last decade.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

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

An industry expert from a leading agency said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention from conventional channels and they’re spending a lot more time on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube than they are consuming linear broadcasts or printed matter.

“A lot of brands are telling us consumers have more faith in suggestions from the personalities they subscribe to compared to commercial messages. It's an ongoing shift.”

He added firms may also cut expenditures by investing in creators over big traditional media campaigns, which also enables easier content adjustment to gauge performance.

The approach is growing. Marketing investment on influencer marketing is growing fourfold quicker than the broader media sector. In the US, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is forecast to attain tens of billions in 2025.

The Enduring Power of Broadcast

Regardless of the massive shift, executives 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 the Super Bowl. The issue isn't broadcasters claiming: ‘We are no longer pertinent.’ It concerns who commands eyeballs … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”