When Things Go Wrong, Go Right to Vaseline

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Vaseline: The OG Fix (for Literally Everything)

It’s been around forever. It’s probably sitting in the back of your medicine cabinet right now, waiting for a scraped knee or cracked hands in the winter. That’s Vaseline, right? That simple tub of goo our parents have had forever? WRONG!

Yes, Vaseline has been healing and protecting skin through every season, situation, and surprise for over 150 YEARS! It’s the skin savior. But it’s for so much more than dry skin. When things go wrong, there’s one thing that will always go right: Vaseline.

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The Ultimate Beauty Bag Add

This isn’t your mother’s Vaseline. This is the catch-all product for glowy, hydrated skin, tamed brows, juicy lips, smooth cuticles, and so much more. Forget your makeup bag on a school trip? No worries, you just need Vaseline.

The rich formula of Vaseline is there for anything and everything your eyes, lips, and face desire. Rub some on the spots you spray perfume to make scents last even longer. Vaseline can even be used as highlighter if you dab it on your cheekbones on top of makeup for a little extra shine. The only new product your makeup bag needs is a fresh tub of Vaseline.

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Vaseline Cleans Up

Okay, yeah, Vaseline can be used to spruce up a makeup look, but what about when things aren’t so glowy? What about when things go wrong? After all, life is messy. Mascara smudges, you scuff your brand new purse, your cat decides to show his love with an affectionate scratch or two, or maybe those (so cute, but) way-too-small shoes are a proving kind of impossible to get into. 

Luckily, Vaseline is the fix for every scenario. It’s a makeup remover, salve, healing balm, and greasing tool all in one. It’s basically a life hack in a jar. When things get messy, Vaseline cleans up. (And the best part? Vaseline would never judge you.)

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Instagram Copy

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Instagram Copy

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Instagram Copy

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Instagram Copy

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Research: 

• This above proposed billboard is deliberately simple, both in text and imagery. The things that go “wrong” are easily identifiable to the target audience: Cracked lips, dry skin, and unkempt brows are instantly noticeable to the young, beauty-conscious crowd that Vaseline hopes to attract with this campaign, especially when put directly in contrast with the “right” alternatives shown below them. The “wrong” and “right” versions are also accompanied by their identifying words; The word “wrong” is featured in the top line of images, and the word “right” is placed on a separate line along with the bottom line of images, providing another visual clue to the viewer as to what the overall message of the campaign is. 
• If Vaseline wants to explain to potential consumers that the brand is a staple for the young person’s life and is not “stagnant” or just a literal product of a bygone era, it must hone in on themes and motifs that are essential to Gen-Z culture. Beauty is, increasingly, one of these cultural themes that Gen-Z pays attention to. Additionally, Gen-Z is attracted to the “before and after” makeover motif. These advertisements feature this concept.
• Vaseline is also traditionally associated with wound care or a tool near-exclusively for severely dry skin moisturization. Illustrating that a product as simple and ubiquitous as Vaseline can be used to achieve coveted and otherwise expensive-to-achieve eyebrow or lip gloss looks will best draw this audience’s attention further. 
• Regarding the proposed captions and particularly the draft blog post/webpage copy about this campaign, while Vaseline has been around for over 150 years, its contemporary branding does not let its age show. The Instagram and TikTok pages for Vaseline feature content and captioning that are lighthearted, entertaining, and reflective of current social media trends. A March 18, 2025 post about Vaseline lip gloss is captioned, “Tag the bestie you always vibe with” along with a litany of emojis and hashtags.