When Vaseline Becomes Baseline: Anatomy of a Flawless Marketing Buzz
Published on 8 septembre 2026
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Reading Time: 4 minutes
We've all laughed at a mispronounced word. But seeing a global brand completely rebrand itself to join the joke is an entirely different story.
Min Day Lee's viral TikTok video after pronouncing 'Baseline'.
It all started with a video from South Korean creator Min Day Lee. While discussing her favorite skincare products, she pronounced 'Vaseline' as 'Baseline'. The 'v' sound doesn't natively exist in Korean, making this phonetic slip totally natural. On social media, community humor and algorithms did the rest, transforming the clip into a global meme.
Creators worldwide show off the blue jar in viral video trends.
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Get in touch with Nexsetia today!Faced with this buzz, most corporate brands default to radio silence or stiff PR statements. Vaseline did the opposite: embracing self-deprecation and full community complicity.
Official social handles temporarily changed their names and profile pictures to 'Baseline'. Shortly after, the brand playfully appointed Min Day Lee as the official 'CEO of Baseline'.
The official statement appointing Min Day Lee CEO of Baseline.
This is real-time newsjacking executed with perfect timing and authentic humanity.
It proves the most iconic brands aren't afraid to step down from their pedestals and laugh with their audience.
Authentic engagement is earned through agility, humor, and spontaneity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rather than correcting the creator, they celebrated her, changed their branding, and fully leaned into the humor.