Oprah Winfrey Makes an Oops…Again
There isn’t a person on this earth who doesn’t know the name Oprah. She’s idolized, admired, and worshipped by many which in turn empowers’ her. She’s been called a king maker, and anyone who goes on her show with business aspirations has a huge chance of a future of achievement.
Oprah’s made people like Dr. Phil huge successors, and her promotions have what we now call the “Oprah effect”.
This is where:
- The talk show host recommends a product, like a book.
- It becomes a best seller
- Book clubs form
- Online book discussions emerge
- Communities build
Oprah’s human like the rest of us, but unfortunately her mistakes are witnessed around the world and she must be extremely careful to avoid negative publicity…but this is not always an easy thing to do.
Oprah promoted New Age leader James Arthur Ray on her show a number of times, and unfortunately this has come back to haunt her.
James Arthur Ray is a professional writer and speaker, with his newest hit book, New Age, creating media frenzy. He’s been interviewed and talked about on CNN, Fox, and Entertainment Tonight, so of course Oprah got involved.
After becoming an overnight star, on October 8th, 2009, Ray charged up to $10,000 per person to participate in a retreat which included fasting for 36 hours during a “vision quest” exercise and was left alone in the Arizona desert with sleeping bags to rest for the night. The next day consisted of a sweat lodge that turned deadly.
James Shore and Kirby Brown died in the sweat lodge. Eighteen others were hospitalized after suffering burns, dehydration, breathing problems, kidney failure or elevated body temperatures. Liz Neuman, another attendee, died October 17 after being comatose for a week, according to wikipedia.com
As Oprah’s Public Relations Agent, there are several things I would advise her to do to reverse the negative publicity.
1. There needs to be a show dedicated to this horrible incident. Oprah should first publicly apologize for sponsoring a man and product that lead to the death of 3 people and injuries of several others.
2. Oprah can explain that they never meant for this to happen, and that she hopes her viewers can understand that they had no idea James Ray would be so irresponsible and had no way of foreseeing that.
3. On the show, Oprah and her staff should explain how they plan to avoid making this same mistake and that they will investigate people thoroughly people supporting them on the show.
4. Oprah should do something for the families of the victims that died and were injured. She can invite the families to be guest on her show and also present them with gifts of apologies. Oprah’s staff should investigate each family and find out what each family could really use that will change their lives for the better.
5. Via letter or phone call, Oprah’s company should offer to fund the funeral and burial/tombstones or cremation/urns for those that passed.
As Oprah’s PR Agent, I also need to predict how our campaign could backfire.
1. Oprah’s apology could not be taken seriously. People could assume it is purely just a campaign to help her image.
2. People could take Oprah’s excuse as pathetic and inexcusable.
3. People may not believe in Oprah and her staff’s ability to avoid making the same mistake, particularly because she’s interviewed and supported people in the past that proved to be false.
4. People and the viewers may think it is inappropriate for Oprah to give gifts to the families affected by this tragedy.
5. The families may find it too soon or pushy of Oprah and her staff to offer to pay for the funerals, burials, cremations and/or urns.
However, in saying all of that, as long as Oprah and her staff abide by the PRSA Code of Ethics, she should feel no backlash from the public or press.
Her campaign should:
• Be accurate and truthful.
• Avoid conflicts of interests.
• Work to strengthen the public’s trust in the profession.
• Protect confidential and private information of the families unless the staff is given permission.
• Work to strengthen the public’s trust in the profession.
• Be honest and accurate in all communications.
• Reveal sponsors for represented causes and interests.
• Act in the best interest of clients or employers.
• Disclose financial interests in a client’s organization.
• Safeguard the confidences and privacy rights of clients and employees.
• Avoid conflicts between personal and professional interests.
• Decline representation of clients requiring actions contrary to the Code.
• Accurately define what public relations activities can accomplish.
• Report all ethical violations to the appropriate authority.
My campaign does abide by all of these rules, so Oprah’s negative publicity should be a thing of the past!
Oprah helps James Ray become popular
