Sunday, November 25, 2012

Oprah's Touch


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.