Oprah comes to Australia

23/09/2010: Oprah comes to Australia. The American daytime Queen of television, Oprah Winfrey, has done it again. The icon is coming to Sydney for an eight–day, seven-night holiday later this year to celebrate her 25th anniversary in television — with 300 US audience members and 150 production crew, all expenses paid.

She is filming two episodes in Sydney, which will air in the US in early 2011 and then the episodes will roll out to other countries. The hope is Australia will be promoted to the world! The two episodes of her popular talk show are due to be filmed at the Sydney Opera House.

Tourism Australia fought off stiff competition globally to host her visit, and pushed for the iconic Sydney Opera House to be her chosen destination. According to reports, there was no better place to kick off Opera, oops, I mean Oprah's celebrations than the newly dubbed "Oprah House".

So what makes Oprah such an influential candidate for Australian tourism? As Tiger Woods did for golf, her visit is expected to generate money, trade and international awareness of Australia. It is hoped her massive influence will put Australia on the map as a premier tourist destination making the $3 million government spend on her visit seem a small price against the long-term gain and investment.

The Oprah Winfrey brand is renowned and almost the stuff of legend. She has enormous power to promote, influence or destroy. Thinking of just one example, Carol's Daughter, a fragrance company in the US, went from $2 million in sales to $22 million after appearing on Oprah's show.

Her influence is a reflection of her personal brand with more than 40 million viewers across 145 countries and some 4 million followers on Twitter. From humble beginnings to multimedia tycoon, she is a clear example of the epitome of personal branding success and the power of influence. The PR effect of her Australian visit has already racked up more than 1500 news article search results on Google.

It's true, not every organisation has the finances to pay celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey to endorse their product or organisation. But what can we, as business owners, learn from the "Oprah effect"?

Partnerships, endorsements, influencers can play a big part in our thought processes as leaders. Our pressure is we have limited time and resources.

But while we are slaving away on the next individual sale, an "out of the box" promotional idea or strategic partnership can move your business on, create awareness and create a fresh push in one monumental leap.

Coming up with strategic ideas that deliver the most value with the least cost and effort are the ones that can turn your business around, and leap it into new spheres.

Think of the new Old Spice advertisements, and how popular they've been.

The key is to link the creative idea with a beneficial calculated outcome or ROI (return on investment). David Jones uses Megan Gale, while Myer uses Jennifer Hawkins. Sporting personalities are another great idea, even for corporate launches and or events.

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Sweet smell of success for Old Spice viral campaign

Michael Bevan, the former Australian Test cricketer, helped us test drive and launch a new service called TaurusProfile last year and it was great fun to align the brand and product with Michael's own set of core values.

Small businesses are all about delivering the most value with the least cost. My top tips are:

• Think strategically about forming partnerships and alliances with other companies.
• Look at geographic reach or products and services that are complementary.
• Brainstorm for out-of-the-box ideas on promoting your business.
• Don't be afraid to do things differently.
• Creativity is a great asset in a business. Take some time out with your team to brainstorm.
• Use facilitators and outside experts when necessary.
• Use ambassadors or influencers to help promote or educate about your business.
• Address your trade press and your local media.
• Mix your traditional media with social media and educate, educate!

Oprah Winfrey may be beyond my budget or yours, but the practice of using her to promote Australia, is one we can adapt to our smaller enterprises!

To view Sharon's blog on ninemsn, click here.

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