Battle of the Brands: Oprah versus Palin

The Drudge Report today had a series of posts related to Oprah. Word got to Matt Drudge's staff that Oprah's organization is split on whether to have Sarah Palin on the show. No doubt that given the ratings for Palin's speech on Wednesday the ratings on Oprah would similarly be through the roof. However, Oprah want's no part of Palin because she's thrown her support behind Barak Obama.

This decision has infuriated many of Oprah's fans the most vocal of whom have left messages across the Internet. There is also an equal and as vocal faction that is supporting Oprah's decision. How this turns out is anyones guess but given her support for Obama it is unlikely we'll see Sarah Palin on Oprah until after the election if at all.

Now it is Oprah's show. She's the boss and that fact alone says that her word is law. She's got every right to not have Palin on the show. What is questionable, however, is her reasoning. Oprah maintains that since the 2008 Presidential campaign commenced that she has not had a candidate on the show - that includes Barak Obama. In essence, she's saying that there is a firewall between her show and politics.

While that is a lofty and admirable sentiment there is a flaw in her logic. The fact of the matter is that Oprah is a brand. What she is, what she embodies and what she believes is the show, the magazine and all other Oprah/O/Harpo entities. Once you become a brand they all represent you. So when Oprah attends Obama's Acceptance Speech it is a reflection on the rest of her assets without separation. So while Oprah want's to act as if she is above politics she is not.

Oprah is a very intelligent and talented person. She knows this loop hole and expects that we all believe that what she's doing is fair and proper. This is an example of what conservatives brand as elitism. Since the day that natural selection kicked in where those who outsmarted people of lesser intelligence, the thinkers have been using their minds to suppress others in a soft, nonthreatening way. It has always worked. However, in the information age people are wise to these scheme because few of these Jedi Mind Tricks go undocumented.

While we'd all love for people like Oprah to relent and admit that she is a Brand and allow Sarah Palin to be on her show the reality is she's simply not going to do it. Some can get all worked up an a lather over it but it's not going to change anything. In time, those who get upset will make amends with Oprah which is all well and good. But never, NEVER forget that someone who builds an empire on a brand on their persona like Oprah, Obama, Trump, Branson, etc simply cannot selectively step away from any part of their brand.