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The Oprah Factor
Oprah Winfrey has put the wraps on her show after 25 seasons on the air. “Lady O” reshaped what the daytime talk show was all about. I was never a huge fan, but actually started to watch her show in 2010. Then, Oprah launched OWN- The Oprah Winfrey Network- in 2011. I gained more respect into Oprah the woman and Oprah the marketer.
courtesy Harpo Productions
An appearance on Oprah could catapult your career or put shame on it. That, to me, is a great lesson in public relations and in marketing. There are a few examples of why being touched by Oprah could (or could not) be just what a product or person needed.
-”Oprah’s Book Club” was a boon for authors. According to Nielsen BookScan, Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, sold 3,370,000 copies after it was published in 2005, which tracks about 75% of the market.
-Dr. Phil can thank Oprah for his show. After making numerous appearances on “Oprah,” he got a show of his own and has been a success.
-Oprah’s success on TV ultimately allowed her to launch “O Magazine,” Oprah Radio on SiriusXM, and later, OWN.
-”Oprah’s Favorite Things” featured hard-to-get items and must-haves. Little known products that were featured often had a significant sales bump.
There were also adverse affects to appearing on Oprah. Remember Tom Cruise’s couch jumping appearance? The reaction was less than stellar for Cruise, post show.
Then there is the case of Iyanla Vanzant, the Oprah show’s former widely-acclaimed relationship expert. She was poised to join Dr. Phil as a former guest to gain a show. But, an apparent disagreement between Vanzant and Oprah led to an 11-year gap as a guest. Vanzant, a popular author, did gain her own show through Barbara Walters. But it was short lived. This whole situation proved that Oprah could make you and knew talent.
Oprah’s real marketing and PR test will come with OWN. Will viewers flock to watch the well-produced “Masters Class” or even Shania Twain’s reality show? Oprah has shown it’s not wise to count her out.
“You can have it all. Just not all at once,” Winfrey said. I think we as PR and marketing pros can learn something from that quote.
What are your thoughts on Oprah’s marketing, PR, or even personal brand? Leave comments below.
Look! Up in the Sky! It’s.. who?!
When I was growing up, Superman was my favorite superhero. I had the figures, watched “The Super Friends” on Saturday mornings, and even dressed up as him (Clark Kent disguise and all). I’ve seen every Superman movie- yes, even the “Quest for Peace.” So, when I read that DC Comics was going to reboot the Man of Steel, I was intrigued.
Then I saw this.
I thought, “This isn’t Superman or even Superboy, it’s Emo-boy.”
The sexy word to use when companies or industries want to change something is “reboot.” That’s what DC is trying to do with Superman. I couldn’t be more disappointed. The comic publisher intimated they patterned the updated “Man of Steel” after “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson. Here is what DC said about the new Superman:
“We wanted to tell a story that’s hip, sexy and moody,”
When I think of Superman, I don’t think of any of those and why is that a bad thing? Moody would be Batman because that fits the character. Sexy? That’s Wonder Woman. Hip? I don’t need my superheroes to be angst-ridden teens that wear hoodies.
I think it’s a marketing mistake to take an iconic character and change his mood and look. Even “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric questioned the move.
To me, this is another example of not respecting the brand. When Gap changed it’s logo (they’ve since decided against it), I understood what people were saying and thought people would still shop there, regardless. However, I strongly believe it was a case of executives not understanding or respecting the Gap brand. You don’t change something that works and that means the logo.
DC is trying to sell comic books and I understand this. But, you don’t need to pattern Superman after someone else to get people to buy it. A good story will do that.
Is DC disrespecting the Superman brand or is the “reboot” a good idea? Let me know what you think.
