Oprah Winfrey: Is she too incorporated?

Yes

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by C. Elliot

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For years, Oprah's been America's favorite friend-next-door, fashionista, and self-help guru, all in one. Fans admire O's laundry list of charitable causes and envy the A-list pals in her back pocket. But has overexpansion of the Oprah brand watered down her influence? By the looks of things, Oprah Winfrey has become too incorporated- an emerging blemish on her multi-billion-dollar empire.

It's only fair to first admit that Oprah has had many positives effects on mainstream culture. She's brought issues of child abuse into our national conversation. She's inspired millions to get healthy and lose weight. She's promoted outreach and education and given voice to many people who, otherwise, would have none.

But the truth is: She's long had some inconsistencies that didn't sit well with her followers. Take, for instance, her image as a "champion for the everywoman." Hasn't that always seemed a little off? After all, anyone who's picked up O's magazine and glanced at the product recommendations will tell you, she is *clearly* not working from an everywoman budget. It's nothing for her to suggest a fifty dollar tee-shirt, a two-hundred dollar bathrobe, or a three-hundred dollar spa treatment. If that doesn't reflect a disconnection between the Oprah Image ("I understand you and your lifestyle") and the Oprah Reality (which assumes that average people can lay down hundreds of bucks on luxury items), what does?

Still, Oprah has managed to remain a media powerhouse nonetheless. She's got the talk show that made her a superstar. She's got her hand in a slew of television and movie projects (not to mention her Broadway production, "The Color Purple"). She's on satellite radio. In her TV show and "O Magazine," she'll dish out life advice in the same breath that she'll suggest some food and decor tips. It seems she's laying stakes in nearly every media market. So why is this brand expansion a bad thing?

At the heart of it, the Oprah brand faces a problem that brands like McDonald's and Starbucks do not. She's not marketing cheap cheeseburgers and four dollar mochas. She's invested in the business of making people feel good, of improving their lives, and deepening their social connections. If, even for a moment, she starts down a path that does not feel entirely genuine, her consumer base will get this icky feeling that they are being duped. Perhaps Oprah is just another big brand, trying to play off of their emotions for profit. Particularly in her line of work, authenticity is crucial- and in the last few years, hers been held up for serious speculation.

Her authenticity first came to the foreground when she famously lambasted author James Frey on her talk show in early 2006. She had selected his so-marketed memoir, "A Million Little Pieces" for her book club. When it finally came to light that the book was not a memoir at all but, in fact, predominantly fiction, Oprah initially defended the book club choice. She went on television and stood by the novel and its author - which was, essentially, an effort to protect the sanctity of her brand. But Americans didn't buy it, and she received an enormous outcry from her fans. "Why don't you care about the truth?" they asked. "He lied to us. Why doesn't that matter?" Well, Ms. Winfrey couldn't have that. So, she went back on her talk show and ripped Frey to shreds because, suddenly, the authenticity of the Oprah brand was at stake.

Eventually, the incident blew over, and Americans found other more salacious scandals to occupy their watercooler talk. Nonetheless, Frey-gate had left a tiny crack in the authenticity of the "Oprah" name...

Over the last couple years, as American culture has been served up more heaping helpings of Oprah-branded shows, books, and movies than ever before. At the same time, she's hit some bumpy patches in her public life. Allegations of abuse at her girls' school in Africa left many Americans shaking their heads in dismay (not to mention that said school was already a hot-button topic among her followers anyway).

O's also opted to endorse Barack Obama in his current presidential bid- a decision that has left some Americans feeling a tad... well- insulted. Sure, she can tell them what to eat, what to read, how to dress, and how to deal with pretty hefty life issues. But who to vote for? In making this particular move, Oprah seems to have hit a nerve with the public. You can almost hear people asking, "Does she think we're all just a bunch of drones who'll do whatever she says?" Celebrity endorsements are not new in politics; but because of "Oprah-the-brand," perhaps "Oprah-the-person" cannot go out on the same limb as a Ben Affleck or Steven Spielberg. In doing so, she risks alienating her brand-followers.

Mayb e, like many big brands before her, Oprah does not care about becoming "too incorporated." Maybe she's looking to dip into as many markets as possible, and- let the chips fall where they may. As for Americans though- their love of O will probably see some wear and tear, and she should brace herself for the potential brand backlash.

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