CNBC’s doing a special called The Oprah Effect on Thursday about how companies get their wares onto our Queen of Consumer Culture’s show so it’ll sell like mad. The documentary will tell us about folks who tried for seven years to get on the show (clip embedded below) and who were rescued from the brink of bankruptcy by an Oprah mention. I’m totally into this, if only so I can understand how I once ended up so desperate to buy a $56 plain white T-shirtthat not only was I willing to pay $56 for a plain white T-shirt, but Ireturned to the website dozens of times over the next few weeks afterfinding that the second Oprah crowned it the best-fitting cottongarment of all-time, the thing was sold out. (I guess I came out better than Liz Lemon, with her Oprah-approved sweater capes and calypso music.)
How about you, PopWatchers? What senseless stuff has Oprah hypnotized you into purchasing?
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The problem is that Oprah is so incredibly gullible, that she’ll put anything on her show. Since she’s so popular, when she mentions scam diets, ripoffs like “the secret”, or pseudoscience like the idea that “vaccines cause autism”, people believe her, causing harm.
The problem is that Oprah is so incredibly gullible, that she’ll put anything on her show. Since she’s so popular, when she mentions scam diets, ripoffs like “the secret”, or pseudoscience like the idea that “vaccines cause autism”, people believe her, causing harm.
I bought The Corrections, the only book turned down for Oprah’s club by the author, and I bought Bright Shiny Morning, by the author Oprah tried to ruin. Do those count?
I call it “The Church Of Oprah” because it does seem to take over the lives of its followers. She’s sold a lot of books on how to take control of your own life, but he weight has bounced around like a bowling ball on a bungee.
My daughter’s a charter member.
I’ve been Tivo-ing Oprah for the past two years, and while I’m discerning of what she says I definitely feel the influence she has. Her shows have motivated me to clean out my closets, watch the PBS series “On the Road Again” with Mario Batalli, make some nutritional decisions and find out more about certain topics. Things I passed over entirely was “A New Earth” teaching series, a show about past lives and some of her other quasi spiritual topics, among some other topics I wasn’t interested in. I guess I’m not the rush out an buy what Oprah says type of person, but I keep watching because it’s entertaining and often makes me think further about issues.
I subsribe to O Magazine and have since the beginning, but have never subscribed to to O at Home magazine – I barely have time to read the ones I get. I did read most every book in the original Oprah Book Club (and bought them,) but have not participated in that since the switch over. I do now buy and read books from the authors I did enjoy. I never bought The Secret, or did a Gratitude Journal. And I would buy a Kindle if I could afford it – it would make travel easier for me. Other than those items, I haven’t bought any other items.
Although Oprah hasn’t swayed me into buying anything, Dr. Oz has a whole lot of my money. Every time he comes out with a new book, I can’t resist.
Um…nothing.
I can make my own decisions about what I do and don’t want to buy, thank you very much.
Lemmings
Oprah cured my cancer. FACT.
Lemmings only go off the cliff once.
Ryan B, Jonathan Franzen actually agreed to be a part of Oprah’s book club, and after the announcement was made, he gave an interview where he basically said he was uncomfortable with the book club seal on his cover and that his book being marketed to a female readership so the show decided not to use him. They turned him down. Despite the fact that was he did was completely rude and insulting to millions of women that watch the show, he comes out looking like a hero as though he stood up to Oprah somehow. In the end, he still made a lot of money off her recommendation.
Absolutely nothing! In fact, I do my best to avoid anything she endorses (except Obama, a choice I made free and clear of Oprah)
here is what sister Oprah taught me ,and it changed my life. So ,so simple i should have thought of it myself,”When someone shows you who they are, believe them the FIRST time.”Now , i don’t know who said it first, but when she said it , it clicked.Good enough for me.
You sheep.
Jennifer,
That bit about ‘being marketed to female readership’ is bullshit and you know it.
He was uncomfortable with Oprah slapping her name all over his book, and for good reason too, because zombies like you who march to her empty hypnotic drum are dense enough to make up crap like that to defend your obese overlord.
@Claire et al.: Oh please, give me a break. You’d be surprised at how much you are influenced into what you buy. If it’s not Oprah then it’s something else. At least Oprah has good intentions, for the most part.
The easier question for me would be what HAVEN’T I bought that Oprah suggested. Pretty much only the things that are out of my price range. And anything that looks like my mother would wear it.
The people who dislike Oprah, or will not buy something or read a book because of her endorsement are sheep.
And those who think that they are not influenced/market to buy items are naive.
I don’t watch Oprah, or subscribe to her magazine but her seal of apporval would not diswade me from anything…including reading a book with a particular sticker on it.
You had me Jennifer until you spelled “dissuade” as “diswade.”
Dummy!
LAFCo’s luck changes? That’s it? I don’t really care about the story, luckily, because it just kind of ends. What happened? Did Oprah highlight the products and if so, did it help, was it worth it. Typical crap stories from the networks.
“The people who dislike Oprah, or will not buy something or read a book because of her endorsement are sheep.”
…as opposed to the people who mindlessly consume because of Oprah endorsements?
Another good point. People who make their own decisions are dissuaded. People who pretend that Oprah is anything more than a tool of tools are diswaded.
j, I actually googled the whole thing before I wrote my comment, to be sure that I had the story right. He went on NPR’s Fresh Air around that time, and said “”So much of reading is sustained in this country, I think, by the fact that women read while men are off golfing or watching football on TV or playing with their flight simulator or whatever. I worry — I’m sorry that it’s, uh — I had some hope of actually reaching a male audience and I’ve heard more than one reader in signing lines now at bookstores say ‘If I hadn’t heard you, I would have been put off by the fact that it is an Oprah pick. I figure those books are for women. I would never touch it.’ Those are male readers speaking.”
I mean, it’s an insulting comment to both men and women, but I can read the between the lines and he was uncomfortable with how his appearance on Oprah would affect how he was perceived in literary circles since her audience is primarily female.
My friends and I are huge Oprah fans and we pretty much get excited about anything she promotes. We’ve read most of her book club picks. LOVED The READER & loved her public spanking of James Frey & Nan Talese. Started watching Dr. Phil when she launched him though over time we lost interest. The biggest influence Oprah’s had on us was switching our support from Hillary to Obama in the Democratic primary. We’re so glad we trusted her on that one.
but nobody needs this crap!!! $12 soaP?
$12 soap is for celebrities and rich people who have no imagination. They can’t think of anything better to do with their money than buy more extravagant stuff with which to pamper themselves. I can’t imagine spending $12 on a bar of soap when there are people dying throughout the world because they don’t have clean water, much less a bar of soap, at any price.
I think we’ve all bought crap based upon someone’s suggestion. If you buy everything she suggests though, you’ve got a problem.
I can tell you right now that “New Earth” and “The Secret” sold only because it was on that show. People come into bookstores, completely unable to remember those 2 simple titles and want it only because it was on that show. Cant even say what they are about. Total Lemmings.
I also had a customer tell me I was UNAMERICAN because I have never seen Oprah. I pointed out it is because I am at work when its on. She didn’t have a reply.
Oprah has the reverse effect on me.
If she says it’s great, I don’t buy it.
I read 2 “Oprah” books – from the library – and did not enjoy either one. Just cuz Oprah jumps off the Brooklyn Bridge doesn’t mean I have to.
$56 tee shirts, the stupid The Secret thing, Dr. Phil, why should I listen to her? Because she’s rich and BFF with Maya Angelou and Tina Turner?