VASELINE

A half-empty tub of Vaseline is proof of a life-well lived.

Submission to the 2025 Young One’s Student Awards Competition

Case Study

Problem

Despite its 150-year legacy, Vaseline has faded into the background for Gen Z. It’s never top-of-mind, despite its 101 uses.

Insight

Vaseline is not used as an enhancer, but rather to address a problem. You don’t need Vaseline to complete your beauty routine; you need it to soothe burns, blisters, scrapes, or scars. The person who never needs vaseline has never lived.

Goal

Reposition Vaseline as a symbol of confidence, resilience, and real life by shifting Gen Z’s mindset from fear of judgment to pride in the marks, moments, and memories that shape them. The goal was to celebrate a life fully lived, and show how vaseline can help smooth the way.

Execution

We reframed scars, scrapes, and bruises as badges of experience, pairing storytelling with Vaseline’s 101+ uses across print, social, and experiential placements.
To bring this idea into the real world, we activated pop-up Vaseline vending machines in high-impact, high-emotion environments:

NYC Marathon

Vaseline can be used to soothe blisters from running, and dry skin from being outside for a long duration.

National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day

Vaseline can be used on the scratches and scrapes that might come with a new pet.

These authentic moments were repurposed as social content on Instagram and TikTok, culminating in a compilation that showcased how people define a “life well-lived.”

Digital billboard displays text about a dating app, profile stalks, outfit changes, pep talks, group chat, curling iron burn, and Vaseline, along with a phone screen showing a message conversation about dinner plans.
Digital billboard on subway platform displaying a red toy mouse with a black tail and eye, with text about purchases made for a cat, including cat toys, food, and supplies, and a caption 'Proof of a life well-lived.'
Billboard displaying a crème brûlée dessert with recipe ingredients and the Vaseline logo. The background includes trees, high-rise buildings, and a sidewalk.
Two women taking a selfie inside a phone booth near the New York City Marathon finish line, with race banners, onlookers, and city buildings in the background.