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Lang Kirchheimer
Written by Scot Meyer
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Oprah started talking about contemporary fiction on her show in 1996, and since then her book club segment has consistently launched titles to the top of the best-seller lists.
Wally Lamb’s She’s Come Undone was among the beneficiaries of Winfrey’s literary Midas touch, which frequently turned previously obscure novels into hits. The same magic worked for classics and nonfiction as well.
In 2004, an analysis by economists at Brigham Young University showed that Oprah's endorsement provided more than a temporary sales boost. The chosen books stayed at the top of the lists longer than other best sellers, the study found, and then returned to best-seller status when released in paperback.
Oprah Book Club: Club Site
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Photo courtesy of Amazon
Kindling Interest
Last year Oprah demonstrated that she could have the same effect on electronic books as she did on the old-fashioned paper kind. On her Oct. 24, 2008, show, Winfrey called Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader “absolutely my new favorite thing in the world.”
Amazon won’t reveal the endorsement’s effect on the gadget’s sales, but Advertising Age reported that visits to Amazon’s web site were up 6%25 (a big deal, given the site’s popularity) on the day of the show. And Google searches for “Kindle” were up 479%25 that day as well.
The Kindle, which was introduced in 2007, also sold out before the holiday season last year in the wake of Oprah’s endorsement.
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Photo courtesy of Spanx
No Slimming Effect
Spanx Inc. got its start when company founder Sara Blakely cut the feet off a pair of pantyhose so she’d have something to wear under a pair of white pants to make them more flattering. Inspired, she found a hosiery manufacturer to make her new product, and then convinced some department stores to carry it.
After Spanx Footless Body-Shaping Pantyhose was chosen as one of Oprah’s favorite things in 2000, the company sold more than 50,000 of its products in just three months. Spanx moved its headquarters out of Blakely’s apartment.
The company got another boost when a line developed for Target Stores in 2006, called Assets, earned a mention on Oprah’s show. Spanx recorded more than $100 million in sales that year.
Spanx Web site: Shop now
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Photo courtesy of Carol's Daughter
Sweet Smell of Success
Another home-grown business that hit the big time with Oprah’s help was Carol's Daughter. The natural beauty products company got its start when Lisa Price’s mother Carol encouraged her to pursue a hobby of fragrance making.
Price started selling her products at flea markets, and after about eight years had a shop in Brooklyn, N.Y. and a cult following that included a handful of celebrities. Then in 2002 her products were featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and in the third and fourth fiscal quarters her business had tripled compared to the previous two quarters.
Before long sales increased from about $2 million to more than $20 million a year. Carol’s Daughter now has eight stores of its own, and its products are carried in Sephora, Macy's, Dillard’s and other outlets in 39 states and the District of Columbia.
Carol's Daughter Web site: Shop now
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Photo courtesy of Kashwere
Growing Pains
The huge increase in attention that often follows a mention on The Oprah Winfrey Show can be overwhelming to small businesses. Just ask Peter Seltzer, founder and owner of Kashwere LLC.
His company’s robes were one of Oprah’s favorite things on an episode of her show that aired on Nov. 22, 2005, and although he had added phone lines before the show, they were quickly swamped by calls from people wanting to order the garments in time for Christmas. The company hired extra workers to process the orders, but still disappointed some customers.
The company ultimately issued an apology on its Web site for the orders it was unable to fill in time for the holidays. But it also thanked Winfrey for her support.
Kashwere's Web site: Shop now
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Photo courtesy of Philosophy
Working in the Salt Mines
In 2003, Philosophy’s Gingerbread Man Hot Salt Scrub was one of Oprah’s favorite things, and as a result the company rearranged its production schedule for two months, devoting weekend work and double-shifts to production of the product, putting other products on back-order to keep up with the demand.
The Phoenix-based company had been through the process once before, in 1999, when its Hope in a Jar skin cream was named a favorite thing for that year. “The Oprah factor is real,” Philosophy’s founder and CEO Cristina Carlino told The New York Times in 2004, adding that the move “completely changed the trajectory of this company.”
Philosophy's Web site: Shop now
Photo courtesy of Bella Cucina
Showing Good Taste
Within moments of her company’s Artichoke Lemon Pesto Sauce’s being featured as a “Favorite Thing” on Oprah’s television show in November 2003, Bella Cucina Artful Foods owner Alisa Berry said orders came pouring in online and by phone.
The increased business was not overwhelming, though, and the company was able to take full advantage of the media exposure. Additional attention generated by a mention in O magazine’s “O List” in April 2004 helped further boost the Atlanta-based business, which sells its Italian-inspired spreads, sauces and other food products online and through gourmet stores.
In 2006, Berry and her company brought their products to a holiday market in New York City’s Grand Central Station.
Bella Cucina's Web site: Shop now
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Photo courtesy of Savannah Bee
How Sweet It Is
The effects of an Oprah recommendation can be long lasting, says Savannah Bee owner Ted Dennard. He told Business Week that besides a quick boost in online orders after his honey was recommended on Winfrey’s show, his company also garnered increased interest from new stores that wanted to carry its products.
Dennard, who started keeping bees in high school, started bottling jars of Tupelo honey in 1998 and selling it at a high-end antique store in Savannah, Georgia. More stores wanted his product, and in January 2002 he quit his job and mortgaged his house to devote himself to producing honey full time.
His honey was picked up by the cooking-products chain Williams-Sonoma. And then another big break -- an appearance Oprah’s TV show in 2004.
Savannah Bee's Web site: Shop now
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All A-Twitter
The microblogging site Twitter was already on the rise when Oprah had its CEO Evan Williams and celebrity “tweeter” Ashton Kutcher on her show earlier this year. But she still had an impact. Visits to the Twitter Web site on Friday, April 17 (the day the show aired) were up 43%25 compared to the previous Friday, the online marketing analysis firm Hitwise reported.
Nielsen Online estimated that the number of Twitter users grew 23%25 in April, to 17.1 million.
Before she sent her debut tweet, Oprah already had 30,000 followers. (Her first message: HI TWITTERS. THANK YOU FOR A WARM WELCOME. FEELING REALLY 21st CENTURY.) She now has more than 1.7 million followers.
Twitter's Web site: Tweet now
Photo courtesy of Dr. Phil
Star Maker
The Oprah Effect doesn't just work on products. It can also create celebrities. Case in point: Dr. Phil.
Winfrey discovered Phil McGraw when she hired his legal consulting firm, Courtroom Science Inc., to help her prepare for a trial. (She faced charges of “defaming beef,” in a suit brought by Texas cattle ranchers who were angered by a show she did on food safety.) Impressed with McGraw’s work, she introduced him to her audience in 1998 and, when he proved popular, gave him a regular gig offering advice.
Dr. Phil graduated to hosting his own syndicated show, which debuted in 2002, and writing books, six of which have topped The New York Times best-sellers list.
Dr. Phil's Web site: Visit Dr. Phil now