Read the case and answer the questions that follow. Oprah Winfrey\'s career and
ID: 450619 • Letter: R
Question
Read the case and answer the questions that follow.
Oprah Winfrey's career and meteoric rise started as a local news anchor in Nashville and then a talk show host in Baltimore. In 1984 she moved to Chicago and launched her morning show AM Chicago. The show's ratings were a huge success, and in 1986 the show was rebranded as The Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey was gaining a reputation for offering a confessional, straight talk, "group therapy session". For 25 years her talk show reigned supreme, drawing 12 million U.S. viewers at its peak. The show aired more than 4,500 episodes and featured more than 30,000 guests. Her consistent message was to confront life's difficulties and take time for self-care and self-improvement. Celebrities like Dr. Oz, who started on Oprah's show, soon spun off their own shows which increased Winfrey's brand recognition.
Viewers believe and trust Winfrey, which gives her tremendous influence. She uses this to help other brands connect with her audience. She likes to showcase the brands she loves, and her endorsements are offered without compensation. Winfrey once featured aromatherapy slippers called Foot Cozys on her show. Foot Cozys averaged 3,000 pairs sold per month. But, one month after her endorsement, sales went up to 12,000 pairs.
Harpo Productions was started by Winfrey in the late 1980s, when she left King World Productions and ABC. This risky move gave her total control and complete ownership of her brand and syndication fees, estimated at $100 million. Since the founding of Harpo Productions, Winfrey has expanded her personal brand from her TV show to a range of other vehicles. All of these operate as divisions of Harpo Productions. One such venture is O, The Oprah Magazine which has a circulation close to 2.5 million. Winfrey also controls two production companies, Harpo Films and Harpo Studios. The movies produced by her film company celebrate the preservation of human dignity against terrible odds. The immensely popular Oprah's Book Club has been credited by some with saving the publishing industry. She has numerous syndicated TV and radio spin offs, such as Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray. All of her ventures are profiled on her website, Oprah.com, which is essentially another Winfrey brand.
One of her more recent ventures was to launch her own cable television network—The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). It was another risky move, and its initial launch was rocky. Early reviews criticized Winfrey for taking the fun out of her own program. Her new flagship show, Oprah's Lifeclass, came off like a series of dull, preachy lectures. Several months after the launch of OWN, Winfrey shuffled the leadership structure and took the top post herself. As in the past, Winfrey was determined to take control of her brand and her company. She would do what she had always exhorted others to do: Live her best life through her own brand. That brand has been enormously profitable, making Winfrey the wealthiest of America's 400 richest self-made women, with a combined worth of $2.7 billion.
1. In the context of products and branding, specific vehicles like Oprah's magazine, film company, TV show and Book Club would be known as ______.
2. Millions of women tune in to Oprah to learn how to "live their best life" and improve themselves. In terms of product complexity, this would be the _______.
3.Each of Oprah's product lines is a division of Harpo Productions. In product terms, the total number of divisions would be the product mix ________.
4.O, The Oprah Magazine is the only magazine in that particular line. If Oprah decided to publish spin-off magazines, she would be increasing the product line _______.
5. When Oprah launched her cable network, OWN, she used the branding strategy know as a ________. However, some degree of brand ______ occurred when the new venture was seen as preachy and dull rather than intimate and inspiring.
6. All of the following are components of Oprah's brand equity except:
7. Oprah takes control of her companies and carefully manages her brand to ensure an appealing image. She actively develops her products and their production. In brand ownership terms, "Oprah Winfrey" is a ________.
Explanation / Answer
1. Product line
Because it refers to the group of related product
2. Core customer Value
Benefits provided by the products are valuable for the customers
3. Breadth
Total no. of division of products are included in product breadth
4. Product line depth
Oprah Winfrey magazine is a sub-product under the division of Harpo production thus refers to the product depth
5. Brand Extension, Brand dilution
It is using the brand for other products thus managing it under the common brand. It will lead to brand dilution
6. All components of brand equity
7. Manufacturers brand
The products line created by Oprah Winfrey are manufactured based thus belong to manufacturers brand.
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