experience matters

It reads like an early 70’s drug induced weekend, doesn’t it?  The Oprah Experience.  If you buy into all of her “your spirit, your soul” stuff than you have been living the Oprah Experience for some time.  And clearly, that is her goal – allow her cult, eh, fans, to engage with her anywhere. And so, on the day Oprah got on Twitter, I thought it relevant to talk about how she distributes herself.

Its official.  Oprah Tweets.  @Oprah Stedman and I are shopping for light bulbs.

 

Not too many celebrities have an HBR (Harvard Business Review) case study written about them (I’d link you to it but they don’t give those away for free).  It talks about her humble beginnings, her work in Chicago television and ultimately how she ended up staring down execs from massive distribution companies over the negotiation tables in an effort to maintain control over her destiny.  No mention in the case of best friend Gayle (seriously, she needs a Wikipedia page?) which I found refreshing.

Her ability to maintain control of her brand has enabled her to create a distribution strategy rivaled by few.  Magazine, radio, book clubs and potentially her own network.  But it is less about the properties in her network and more about the message she consistently communicates. That message is simple and authentic:  be strong and resilient and you can live your best life.

Over the last couple of months, Oprah has launched a Facebook page (she brought Zuckerberg onto the show for a very awkward, appearance to demonstrate how to use it) and now is on Twitter.  So how will she continue to expand her experience into digital channels, specifically social, where judgment of success is tied directly to authenticity?  It shouldn’t be all that different from how she has built her brand.

If Oprah calls me and asks for advice, and I’m sure she will, I will offer two thoughts.  First, her greatest asset is her perceived authenticity.  Yes, perceived, because I think it is all just marketing.  That being said,  women sit in that studio and cry; they get online and talk about her the way men do about sports.  They do so because they relate to her and her stories in a way that they can’t duplicate in other areas of their life (Sad?  Maybe, but its true). If she can maintain that level of authenticity in social media her brand will continue to resonate and she will attract Kutcher like followers on Twitter.  If that happens, as some tweets are implying, her and Ashton will be holding hands as they jump the shark.

 

I’m on the family size!  Wow, thanks Oprah!!!!

Second, she is arguably the biggest influencer in history.  Brands beg, borrow and plead to get on her “Favorite Things” show and when they do sales go through the roof.   When she knights a chosen one like Dr. Oz or Rachel Ray, they take off and get their pictures on boxes of Triscuits.  Her ability to be a social media infuencer could be a bigger challenge.  Twitter users are anti-mainstream.  They are a core group of early adopters, specialists who believe they drive a revolution.  A scan of Tweets about her are wonderfully cynical:

thekat0711 :

Guys, I hate to say it but I think he’s right: Oprah and Ashton Will Destroy Twitter http://bit.ly/RiIWe

helmsb :

I think historians will look back and decide that when @Oprah joined Twitter is when it jumped the fail whale

2009-04-17 11:42:59

AmyZQuinn :

RT RT let us gather on the last day of Twitter, for verily Oprah doth approach,&her people shall bring the Whale of Fail

2009-04-17 11:50:09

Clearly she will need to establish herself as serious about her role in social networks.  She can do this the same way other influencers do.  She can create value and insight for people that follow her, not just another channel to hock merchandise.

Love it or hate it, the fact that Oprah is now tweeting is yet another example of a brand reaching out to consumers rather than waiting for consumers to come to them.  I giver her credit for recognizing that experiences must be distributed.  But since my wife has a handbag, make-up and a Suze Orman book because of her – Oprah still owes me.

Last 5 posts by Scott Shamberg

• The Digital Quarterback – February 5th, 2010
• Facebook Is Not the Milk Carton of the Internet – November 18th, 2009
• Is Time the New Luxury? – October 15th, 2009
• Meet Your New Consumer… The Wanderer – August 20th, 2009
• The Revolution Will Be Digitized – May 7th, 2009

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