You Are the Brand

Oprah: The “Babe Ruth” of Modern-Day Branding

Oprah. Like Madonna, Sting, Bruce, and Sinatra, Oprah Winfrey doesn’t really need more than her first name to conjure up a brand, an image, or, in her case, a powerful media force of nature that has changed the landscape of American pop culture forever. I’m not one of Oprah’s biggest fans, but I am also not a detractor . I like some things she does, but other things seem way over the top. I don’t even think she is the greatest interviewer around: she often doesn’t follow up and press people (especially if she happens to like them), even though important and pressing questions need to be asked. But none of this really matters when it comes to Oprah’s brand. She is by far the most successful media brand of our time. A few numbers put the power of Oprah into perspective. The Oprah Winfrey Show, which is syndicated and distributed to well over one hundred countries, reaches over 30 million viewers each week in the United States alone. Oprah’s been on the air nonstop, every day, for nearly a quarter century. She heads an entertainment empire composed of television, film production, and publishing enterprises. Recently, she created her OWN network, standing for (of course) Oprah Winfrey Network. She also co-founded Oxygen Media in 1998, which is a twenty-four-hour cable network. Her picture is on the cover of virtually every O magazine, which comes out monthly. And as a philanthropist, she’s got to be one of the most generous celebrities in the world. She’s given away millions and raised millions more through her Oprah’s Angels network. As I write this, Oprah is winding down her daily talk show produced by her production company, Harpo, Inc., and distributed by KingWorld. She has made millions, in fact billions, of dol130 Oprah The “Babe Ruth” of Modern-Day Branding Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:29 AM Page 130 lars, not just for herself but for those connected to her brand. But given that there are so many talk show hosts out there, the question needs to be asked, What makes Oprah’s brand so unique and successful? Knowing Yourself . . . and Your Audience Clearly Oprah’s brand is strongest among women, particularly those who are looking for direction and motivation. According to a Fortune magazine article: “To understand what makes Oprah Inc. such a powerhouse business, you must first understand the simple message that makes Oprah the new queen of soul . . . simply put, says Oprah, ‘My message is, “you are responsible for your own life.”’”According to Fortune, this foundation for a brand is “as consistent a selling proposition as McDonald’s convenience or WalMart ’s every day low prices.”1 That message about being responsible for your own life is an authentic one coming from Oprah.This is a woman who has practiced what she preaches from the early days in her career, when she was told by more than one TV executive that she just didn’t have the right look or really didn’t have what it took to make it in the business. The station execs in charge of Oprah’s first major TV job in Baltimore wanted her to change just about everything, including her hair, lips, and nose.2 But Oprah would have none of it. She believed in herself, or what she would later call her “authentic self.” She didn’t change anything, but just kept plugging away until in 1983 TV executive Dennis Swanson recruited Oprah to Chicago, where Oprah was encouraged to be herself.The rest is history. The powerful and enduring connection that Oprah’s brand has with her audience is based on this “authentic self” image. People trust her and what she says—this is priceless in any business. Her open and honest relationship with her viewers and fans begins with the fact that she has been candid about so many things in her life including the fact that she was molested as a young girl and got pregnant. She has also talked openly about her struggles with her own weight—in a media venue obsessed with vanity. She famously wheeled out sixty pounds of fat in a red wagon after one of the OPRAH 131 Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:29 AM Page 131 many times she dropped a lot of weight to show...