When Korean skincare creator Min Day Lee showcased her Vaseline collection and called the brand “Baseline”, the internet quickly picked up on it. Before long, vaseline became “Basseline”, with creators and users turning the moment into memes, remixes and their own versions across social media.
What began as a small skincare creator moment soon travelled far beyond beauty content.
The trend eventually made its way to Indian social media, where Vaseline joined the conversation rather than trying to control it. The brand began using the viral pronunciation across its own social media posts and engaging with the growing wave of “Basseline” content.
As Pratik Ved, VP Skincare, Hindustan Unilever, put it:
“We didn’t create this moment; the internet did. Our job was to simply show up. ‘Basseline’ is proof that when a brand is genuinely loved, people will remix it in ways no brief could ever imagine.”
Vaseline has also recognised Min Day Lee and other creators associated with the trend as ‘Vaseline-Verified Hijack Icons’ and is now inviting more users to share their own interpretations by tagging @vaselineindia and using #VaselineHijacked.
What makes the moment particularly interesting is that it was never designed as a campaign to begin with. A creator said “Vaseline” a little differently, the internet ran with it, and the brand simply stepped into a conversation that was already happening.
Sometimes, the best social media campaign isn’t the one you create. It’s the one the internet accidentally creates for you.
