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Calling all females in Hollywood!
Oprah Winfrey announced she is leaving the Oprah Winfrey Show after 25 years as the face of afternoon television for women — a role that helped position her as one of the most powerful women in entertainment and the world. The official end to her run as the queen of daytime TV is scheduled for September 9, 2011 — plenty of time to position a successor.
Those are big brand shoes to fill. Who can step up to the challenge? Some might point to Ellen Degeneres who is already positioned firmly with her own talk show, but Ellen and Oprah represent very different brand messages and images. Ellen is a comedian at the core and Oprah is a reporter. Both connect with audiences in different ways and audiences have very different expectations from them.
So that brings us back to the question — who can fill Oprah’s shoes? Who can step up to the plate and build a similar brand position? Let’s face it. Oprah Winfrey’s power and influence transcended the afternoon talk show circuit. She became a global influencer of everything from the beef industry to publishing, entertainment, and many areas in between.
What do you think? Can another person fill Oprah’s shoes? Can you think of anyone who could be up to the challenge? Who has a brand image and message that could rival Oprah’s — if not now then in the future with a bit of positioning and promotion?
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Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc. and Founder & Editor in Chief of an award-winning blog, WomenOnBusiness.com. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored 10 books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.
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LOL. I don’t even know how Oprah fills Oprah’s shoes. Her brand is frickin immense. Of course she’ll pass the torch to someone, but they’ll be best served just being themselves. Fill her shoes? It cannot be done.
Christian, Well said! I think you’re right. Many will try to fill her shoes, but it’s a feat I don’t expect anyone to meet for quite some time! 🙂