Vaseline rebrands as 'Baseline' after viral
Unilever's Vaseline has temporarily rebranded its social media presence to 'Baseline', a playful nod to a viral video by Korean creator Min Day, whose
Vaseline has temporarily changed its display name on social media to 'Baseline'. This playful rebrand is a direct response to a viral video from Korean beauty content creator Min Day, whose pronunciation of the brand name sparked a trending meme.
The heritage brand, owned by Unilever, announced the shift in an official statement posted to its UK Instagram account. The statement humorously cited an "extensive review" consisting of approximately one video, watched over one million times. It declared the rebrand effective immediately.
The Viral Origin
The trend began with a video posted by Min Day, who goes by @mindaylee_ on Instagram. In the clip, she showed her collection of Vaseline products. Her pronunciation of 'Vaseline' sounded like 'Baseline' to many English-speaking listeners, a result of linguistic differences.
Min Day's video has since amassed more than 2.4 million likes. In a follow-up, she explained that the Korean language lacks a direct equivalent for the 'v' sound, leading to her adapted pronunciation. Vaseline seized on the viral moment, changing its profile picture and display name across several international Instagram and TikTok accounts.
A Celebratory Campaign
In its statement, Vaseline framed the change as a celebration of global adaptation. "Vaseline has been pronounced, adapted and made local in every corner of the world for 150 years," the brand wrote. It credited every accent and "'wrong' way of saying it" as proof of the product's widespread reach.
The brand officially named Min Day as the "CEO of Baseline," noting the appointment was effective immediately and required no interview. This move capitalizes on the creator-led nature of the trend.
Vaseline is now encouraging further user-generated content. A post on its Indian Instagram channel invites fans to create videos using the 'Baseline' name for a chance to be crowned a 'Vaseline-Verified Hijack Icon' and win prizes. The campaign leans fully into the meme, with the brand stating, "We are here for it. We might even learn something."
The core product remains unchanged. The statement emphasized, "Same tub, same jelly. Same uses you have been making up since 1870." The rebrand is a temporary, social-media-focused engagement tactic celebrating a single, viral interpretation of its name. The brand's action highlights a modern marketing approach that embraces community correction and internet culture.
