The famous talk show host Oprah Winfrey, also the first African American woman to become a billionaire, just announced that next year she will step down from her talk show after 25 seasons. This is no better time than to look back on Oprah’s accomplishments, especially as the queen of celebrity endorsers. Her most recent successes include the voicing the Eudora, the mother of the first African American Disney princess, Tiana in The Princess and the Frog, and producer of the successful film, Precious.
There’s a lot people know about Oprah: she starred in The Color Purple and then produced it on Broadway, had Tom Cruise jump on her couch and loves John Travolta. She even has her own magazine, which Ellen DeGeneres dressed up as for Halloween and created her own television network for women, Oxygen. But if there’s anything that the public knows about celebrity power, it’s that everything that Oprah touches turns to gold.
Each week 44 million people tune into The Oprah Winfrey Show, making any product she recommends increase in sales. On Oprah’s Favorite Things, she features her product selections during the holiday season and offers these products as gifts to members of the audience. It is estimated that about 20 companies “strike gold” after being featured on her annual Favorite Things episode. In 2004, for example, “We Take the Cake” bakery shop was on the verge of bankruptcy until it was featured on the show. Soon after the feature, ten thousand cakes were sold and it became a million dollar business that sells high-end wedding cakes that sell from $5,000 to $20,000. In 2002 and 2005, Oprah recommended Garrett’s Popcorn in Chicago. After the first feature, sales in the month of December increased 100 percent and the company went from making the popcorn from 8 hours per day to 24 hours per day. Last year, when Oprah recommended Amazon’s wireless reading device Kindle, the gadget was sold out during the rest of the 2008 holiday season. Oprah’s Book Club, established in 2006, has also turned her books of choice into New York Times best sellers.
Oprah’s endorsements aren’t just limited to cakes, books and electronics, but boosting others to fame. It is because of Oprah that Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz and Rachael Ray are so well known and now have television shows of their own. A study also showed that in her first public endorsement of Barack Obama may have won him one million votes. In the beginning of Oprah’s new season, the Black Eyed Peas performed, after which sales jumped 29 percent. Her interview with Whitney Houston caused her album sales to jump up 77 percent.
Oprah is also one of the leading celebrities in endorsing philanthropic causes. Whether it’s Oprah's Angel Network General Fund, O Ambassadors or the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls South Africa, Oprah has raised millions for charity.
As I previously mentioned in a past blog, Oprah has been named on of the most trustworthy celebrities. When named one of TIME Magazine’s most influential people, the article mentioned Oprah’s television power to blend public and private lives, linking strangers with stories and information in the privacy of their own homes. It is for this reason that viewers almost feel that they know Oprah and believe in her genuine desire for the wellbeing of others and the world. This gives her the real power of endorsement. There’s been no other single individual who has had so much celebrity power and credibility than Oprah.
I recently wrote about Bono and I just came across his guest Op-Ed in The New York Times. After reading that Bono has backed both conservatives and liberals, I was skeptical about his motives to support so many politicians. However, his opinion piece is very thoughtful and articulate. I recommend that you read it.
Bono is skillful in his delivery. First, he is able to convince any American who has doubted Obama's Nobel Prize that the president is not only deserving, but that his award is indeed the beginning of our ability to promote international growth, stability and peace. By the end of the article, he makes you believe that it's not just Obama that we're talking about, but America's reputation and everything it stands for. It's America and its tried and true legacy as a successful democracy that will allow us to strive towards the eradication of "extreme poverty, extreme ideology and extreme climate change." His article becomes rather uplifting and patriotic, making it hard to disagree with him. He mentions America's good standing in the world and even adds in a little self-deprecation about celebrities:
"That’s why America shouldn’t turn up its national nose at popularity contests. In the same week that Mr. Obama won the Nobel, the United States was ranked as the most admired country in the world, leapfrogging from seventh to the top of the Nation Brands Index survey — the biggest jump any country has ever made. Like the Nobel, this can be written off as meaningless ... a measure of Mr. Obama’s celebrity (and we know what people think of celebrities)."
What does this all mean? I think Bono is not only able to continue to uplift his image with his inspiring words, but he seems to become the master of celebrity endorsers. He is able to shift from one political group to another, from politician to politician, and still remain an effective spokesperson. I think this is quite fascinating compared to the very entrenched politics of the United States and the inability for many high-profile government leaders to move from one side to the other with the ease that Bono does. Bono possesses the ability to move seamlessly throughout the political world because he does not attack sides. He possesses the mass appeal that is needed for successful celebrity endorsements. Even though he was endorsing Obama, his integration of the American legacy into his article enabled his message to hold meaning for many people.
In his support of various kinds of politicians, Bono is also constructive in his commentary and for that reason, people listen. It isn't about Bono, it's about what he has to say. I'm stressing this because this is another important aspect of celebrity endorsements. For example, in the past, Pepsi dropped both Beyonce and Britney because the celebrities received more attention than the product. Their celebrity detracted from the product so completely that they lost their delivery and in turn, lost their deals with Pepsi. Bono, on the other hand, is able to use his celebrity power, to truly deliver his message. When reading the Op-Ed, I forgot that the words were coming from a world-renown musician. This is what makes a successful endorser.
