Last week was monumental for uStudio customer Kohl’s and all because of a single user-generated video (UGV) on Facebook Live produced by a stay-at-home mom. Yes, we’re talking about Chewbacca Mom!

Unless you have been living on Tatooine this past week, you are probably one of the 140+ million people who have either watched or shared the video of Chewbacca Mom making it the most watched Facebook Live video ever! That is 140 million people hearing the Kohl’s brand name and touting their incredible service and return policies…for FREE!

And while Kohl’s investment this past spring as the exclusive retail sponsor of the Oscars was a smart and strategic one, the 35 million viewers reached doesn’t come close to the power of this single video made by a Dallas mom.

Again, the Chewbacca Mom user-generated video cost Kohl’s $0 in both advertising and production costs AND it reached 100 MILLION MORE viewers than the Oscars. Who knew?!

And that brings us to the challenge for companies and UGV content – you don’t know.

You don’t know when the next super fan is going to post a video gushing about your brand, the service they received or some crazy mask they bought on clearance. You just don’t know. But you should be prepared.

Because almost every one of us has two things – a camera and a pocket. And according to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust peer recommendations above all forms of advertising. Instead of being viewed as a sales pitch, user-generated content is regarded as authentic, trustworthy and more memorable.

People have been sharing stories about products or brands for decades. Today the difference is the speed in which those stories are spread. The Chewbacca Mom video is only the latest in a recent series of brand endorsements from every day folks – remember the guy who loved Patti Labelle’s sweet potato pies and created a frenzy at Walmart?!

And while there will always be a place for company-produced, high-quality video, user-generated video is the modern word-of-mouth for today’s businesses.

What does this mean for your company? Well content is king in today’s business world and UGV provides an opportunity to:

• Enhance your own company-produced content
• Plug gaps where content may not exist
• Promote products or services that you may not otherwise

As a result, you can expect to see digital stats like search engine results, site retention and browsing time dramatically increase. Plus the social media and viral impact beyond your own website is huge! Either the video or the Chewbacca Mom has been featured on almost every morning show and even made a guest appearance on The Late, Late Show with James Corden.

But the most important metric is what UGV means to your bottom line - just ask Kohl’s. Not only did it drive a single product’s sales through the roof, but it also drove additional product sales, positively impacting their bottom line in ways they never could have anticipated.

Want to better understand how to leverage UGV for your business? Click here to set-up a 15 minute call with a member of the uStudio team.

Oh and if you’re still looking for a Chewbacca mask, good luck. Last we heard they were going for $500 on eBay.