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.