You know
it’s Christmas time when Oprah releases her Favorite Things List. Each
Holiday season, the legendary talk-show host, Oprah Winfrey, handpicks and
creates a list of her favorite items and gadgets of the year. If
you’re lucky to create a product she loves, a mention on this list might
skyrocket your success.
The fortunate products that make it in this exclusive
list, experience the Oprah effect:
an instant increase in sales and prestige. That’s because Oprah is one of the
most influential people of our time, and has secured a huge following over the
years. Those big numbers translate into big sales for the products Oprah
recommends. She is not only a pop-culture star, but she is also a star-maker.
We’ve seen many success stories of products that have
been featured in her Favorite Things List or secured a mention in her show, and
immediately see sales peak. Yet, you can’t fully understand the Oprah effect
until you experience it firsthand. While working in Orlando-based advertising
agency Push, I was given the task of collecting media clippings for one of our
clients, Corkcicle.