Last week, a viral video was seen on what seemed like everyone’s Facebook timeline. The video was of a mother sitting in her car and showing off her new Chewbacca mask she’d purchased at the large retailer Kohl’s. Her contagious laugh drew attention to the video from many worldwide, even from the company itself.
As a follow up to Candace Payne’s video, Kohl’s had a surprising response. A representative from the company visited Payne’s home and gave her a handful of goodie; those of which included “[…] a Chewbacca mask, along with $2,500 in Kohl’s gift cards and 10,000 points in its Yes2You loyalty reward program.”
According to Ad Age, the two viral videos increased the total engagement on the Kohl’s website by a tremendous amount. There is no surprise that the Chewbacca mask featured in the videos is now sold out on the website. Although many people online are reaching out to Kohl’s with inquiries about when the mask will return.
When I saw the video, I did think it was funny, but I do not personally think they should have given so much money in gift cards to the Payne family. The video, whether Kohl’s decided to reach out or not, was good publicity for both Kohl’s and the Star Wars franchise. The continuous outreach from customers to the company serves as good publicity on social media, as well. From a PR perspective, the company did a good job in continuing to promote their brand and products.
But again, I do not think so much should have been given to the family. Kohl’s could have had a communications representative create a funny video in response to Payne’s, without giving away anything.
What do you think?
Source: AdAge Kohl’s Chewbacca Surprise Leads to Record Engagement
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