I started watching The Oprah Winfrey Show during my first year of college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. It was a daily ritual for the girls in Darcy Hall to gather in the basement lounge to watch Oprah on the dorm’s only television. Virtually no one had a TV in their dorm room in 1990. It was still a big deal to have a CD player and Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” was the hot song on campus. No one had ever heard of email. Yes – people actually wrote real letters and licked stamps.  It was a different world in many ways and the Oprah show of 1990 bore little resemblance to the Oprah of today.  It was less about self-betterment and inspiration and more of a tabloid freak show. As eighteen year olds, we found it oddly addictive to watch one dysfunctional situation after another each more bizarre than the next.

I left Miami University the next year to continue studies at the University of Virginia and that was really the end of my Oprah viewing for the next 10 years. At UVA, we were much more focused on fraternity parties, football games and getting the grades. There was no time to watch television with so much living to do. Oprah really didn’t reemerge for me until ten years later when I was a new mom with some time on my hands to tune in between diaper changing and mommy & me classes. By that time, Oprah had come into her own and had truly transformed the format of her program. She had discovered her voice and along with it – an amazing knack for exploring universal topics and themes in a heartfelt way that touched millions of viewers. She had built an amazing following and an impressive business empire. All of this, I attribute to one thing – authenticity. Oprah understands more than anyone the power of authenticity – being true to yourself – staying real and uncompromising in any set of circumstances. It takes great bravery and strength to be authentic. It sounds simple yet is one of the toughest paths in life.

Later as I returned to the work world and my career in public relations, Oprah had become the Holy Grail of PR. Every client I ever worked with has asked me how to “get on Oprah.” It didn’t matter if the company made data warehousing software, maps, hangers or cookies – they all thought they had a God-given right to be on Oprah. I can’t even begin to imagine the extent of the bombardment that Oprah and her producers and staffers have faced from the PR/marketing community over the years. I can’t imagine the number of PR agencies, publicists and marketing executives who have been fired and berated over the past decade for their inability to score Oprah. I hate to say this because I have the utmost respect and admiration for Oprah … But the honest truth is … PR people everywhere are glad, happy and ecstatic that it’s over! Thank you Oprah for stopping the madness. We PR folks can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The pressure is off and we are now much freer to do our jobs and help our clients succeed in so many other ways. Gone are the days when clients would express little more than disinterest at glowing product placements on the The Today Show, The New York Times and Ellen. No matter the circulation, the reach, the influence – none of those lesser outlets really mattered. It was always ALL about Oprah. Clients would just shrug their shoulders and say – “Yeah, that’s nice but what about Oprah? Why aren’t we on Oprah?”  I recall working with a small footwear company several years ago that wanted a placement on Oprah like nobody’s business. After months of begging and pleading with editors, we secured them a plum placement in O Magazine. Finally, we thought the client would recognize our success. Nope – they wanted to know why they weren’t on the actual show. Hmmm… maybe because you make an uncomfortable plastic shoe that Oprah would never wear in a million years …  So on we would go plotting strategy and tactics for nailing the Holy Grail of PR at the same time constantly counseling clients on more productive and realistic approaches for their brands.

Oprah set the bar high for PR professionals. She made us strive each and every day to do and achieve more for our clients. That was a good thing for our industry. She also taught me a lesson about building brands – personal brands, corporate brands and consumer brands. Authenticity is the ultimate goal. Public relations practitioners must always guide brands to engage with their audiences in truth and transparency. It will be those brands, companies and individuals that come out ahead in the long run. And, really, that’s what building a brand is all about  — showing integrity through and through and communicating openly and honestly with audiences always. At PAN Communications, we counsel our clients on engaging with consumers in a true voice and finding that human connection or thread that is real and heartfelt.

Oprah’s authenticity is her ultimate personal achievement and my admiration for her is beyond words. She is a success story that inspires all – even those individuals in the most dismal and dire situations and circumstances. Oprah – thank you for not picking those plastic shoes for “Favorite Things.” It would have been a big win for us but would not have been true to you!