‘Social Listening’: The Consumer Goods Giant Seeks to Capitalise On 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 clear candidate for social media algorithms.

Yet the brand’s emergence as a popular subject on TikTok has thrust it into the lead of an advertising revolution, in which large companies are spending big on content creators and putting fewer resources into promoting products in conventional outlets.

The Path from Petroleum to Platforms

The petroleum jelly was first manufactured in the 1870s by chemist Robert Cheeseborough, who saw laborers using on their skin with a residue from oil extraction. Currently, a wave of user-generated videos have chronicled its broad application in “everyday tips”.

Promoted as a solution for polishing footwear or prolonging the scent of perfume, along with a cure for squeaky doors. It has even been deployed to stop the scourge of chip seasoning clinging to fingers.

Capitalising on the Conversation

Spotting its digital renaissance, strategists within the corporation enhanced the tricks by asking their own scientists to test them and providing creators with the outcome data.

Suggestions that it lessened the sting of chili on the mouth were validated. Similarly supported were ideas it could lengthen scent duration and restore leather handbags. Suggestions it could whiten teeth or lengthen eyelashes were debunked.

The ‘Social Listening’ Strategy

Print ads and broadcast spots would once have dominated Unilever’s advertising drive. However, this online trend has led decision-makers to ramp up funding for content creators.

This tracking of digital spaces to inform business strategy has been termed “social listening”. The company's chief executive, recently appointed, has indicated the goal is to spend half of its colossal advertising budget on digital creator content.

Shifting to Modern Engagement

Selina Sykes, who is heading the digital initiative, said the company was just evolving with contemporary approaches of connecting with customers. She said engaging on social media “without dampening the fun” was crucial.

“What is the key to genuine brand integration? That’s always what we’ve been trying to do as brands, back to when people were hanging out their laundry and sharing usage tips.

“We are witnessing a departure from a mass communication approach, where we would just transmit messages … Currently, it's countless discussions, many communities. The evolution of platform algorithms means that these communities feel niche, however, they are large.

“Having your brand advocated by consumers, recommended by peers, that fosters reliability and pertinence. Creators are critical to that. We’re really scaling this advocacy model.”

A Fundamental Consumption Turn

The approach indicates seismic changes taking place in media consumption, with the youth demographic spending more time on apps like TikTok and Instagram than television, magazines or radio.

The shift is reflected in declines in TV and print advertising. In the UK, commercial funding for primary networks have declined by over six hundred million pounds in inflation-adjusted terms since 2019.

Influencer Marketing Expansion

Additionally, it points to a blurring of media roles as corporations essentially turn into content studios, collaborating with numerous influencers to boost their products.

Leon Harlow said: “Naturally, an exodus of attention away from some legacy media and their time is increasingly on digital video and image apps than they are watching live TV or reading print.

“A lot of brands are telling us people trust recommendations from the personalities they subscribe to more than they trust ads. It's an ongoing shift.”

He noted companies can reduce costs by focusing on influencers over expensive broadcast campaigns, which also permits simpler message refinement to gauge performance.

This strategy is expanding. Marketing investment on digital creator partnerships is increasing four times faster than the media industry overall. Across the United States, it has more than doubled since 2021 and is expected to hit tens of billions in 2025.

TV's Lasting Role

Regardless of the massive shift, industry figures said they believed TV advertising still had a prominent role to play, as networks still held the capability to drive countrywide discourse.

The executive noted: “One of the highest return-on-investment media opportunities is still the Super Bowl. It’s not about those broadcasters saying: ‘Our relevance has faded.’ The focus is on who seizes focus … There is undoubtedly a future for traditional media.”