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In Oprah We Trust

May 22, 2008 in Content, Marketing to Women, Marketing, Custom Media, Media/Advertising Trends, Private Media, Marketing to Moms by Kimberly Jackson

Have you seen the Oprah Network lately? Number one ranked talk show; hit magazine; satellite radio; oprah.com… all complete with enough content to fill the digital divide. She shares her wisdom including what we should read and eat; how we should live our lives for the ultimate fulfillment; how we should decorate; who we should help, admire, adore or vilify. Can one person really be so well rounded, so educated, so omnipotent that she can maneuver the masses with such finesse?

It’s no secret that authors hope to be hand picked for her outrageously popular book club series. Sure, past endorsements include well-known’s such as Faulker, Tolstoy and Angelou, but many lesser-knows have been vaulted to stardom (or purgatory) with the same passion. Whether it is Jeffrey Eugenides discussion of children born with both male and female sexual organs in his novel Middlesex or the Gabriel Garcia Marquez with his politically charged love story in Love in the Time of Cholera, these authors become the preference of many mommy book clubs in the US. Equally, the backlash experienced by James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces, originally billed as a memoir turned out to be a wild work of embellished fiction. Oprahs’ anger at being duped resonates for him today as he publishes his next work Bright Shiny Morning. Every interview for his newest effort seems to begin with his previous experience on Oprah. Her condemnation and distaste for his dishonesty will likely follow him for the rest of his publishing career.

Manufacturers and retailers pray for the Oprah nod of approval. Last week, Oprah did her Favorites of Summer in which each audience member won lots of her hot picks for hot summer items. Audience members received gas grills, clothes, CDs, make up, etc. – you could tell the few men in the audience had no idea what was going on when Oprah announced the theme of the show, while their female counterparts jumped up and down in anticipation of their forthcoming booty! Tummy Yummies were on her list and I would love to see the sales spike reported for this company who designs pretty tees that also minimize the not-so-rock-hard tummies!

Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara also got the thumbs up.

“This was the first time anybody’s come to the offices with a scientist to explain how [the makeup] works,” Gayle says [Oprahs BFF Gayle is also on staff at Harpo ]. “This is the scientific explanation: A dual polymer system keeps the mascara from migrating underneath your eyes. That’s code for it doesn’t smudge.”

Did we really need a scientific explanation for how the mascara works? Oprah gave us one and maybe that is the key to her success. She takes nothing for granted in quest, not even the fact that we just buy mascara without understanding its unique merits. Marketing tip here? Never assume that your product it completely understood by your target market, no matter how main stream or simple. Oprah doesn’t.

Her endorsements reach further than store shelves. This year she has thrown her support in the presidential race to Barack Obama. I wonder if Barack was forced to pick one supporter out of his many backers, if Oprah would out rank John Edwards in importance. She might even make a great vice-presidential candidate! Her endorsement on Larry King may be one of the most pivotal moments in the dog fight between the potential first woman/the potential first African-American to seek the Presidency of the United States. Her weight, no pun intended, may just prove to be what tips the scales in the democratic decision making process.

The Oprah network reaches far and wide. Her influence is felt in so many categories. “Self help” or “help others” she can influence us by providing what we see: the whole story. She investigates, reports and summarizes those topics for which most Americans, especially American women, have neither the time nor the resources to research. We put our faith in Oprah. We believe what we see on her couch, in her pages or on another media platform. We rush to spend our time and dollars, and even our votes with a confidence that if she says it good enough, it must be. Maybe it is the humble beginnings, if a poor black girl who had many speed bumps throughout her life can become a media mogul, then amazing things might happen to us regular folk too. Maybe it’s that she just calls ‘em as she sees ‘em and for us that simplicity of message resonates. Whatever it is, there is not doubt, that in Oprah we trust!