Ok, ok…there really is no way to compete with Oprah. But who needs to compete with her when she thinks of your brand as a potential, new favourite thing?!

We’re giving a hearty round of applause to the David’s Tea public relations team here in Montreal. Headed up by media guru Bradley Grill, this terrific tea team managed to get its product into the Queen of Talk’s hotel room (at the Queen E, we believe.) Definitely not an easy feat. David’s Tea’s strong aqua branding colour would have certainly gotten noticed once Oprah settled into her suite.

Melanie Barbusci, David’s Tea’s Events & Community Relations Manager, included a hand written note with her package to Oprah…and then managed to get a personal shout out in front of a crowd of 15,000 people. Not to mention the 1.3 million followers Oprah has on Instagram, where she posted this photo and a personal thanks to Melanie.

On our count, David’s Tea was mentioned at least four times throughout the evening. The company’s founder David was picked out of the audience and focused on for all to see on the giant screens of the Bell Centre. Then, Oprah started talking about the David’s Tea The Perfect Tea Mug and how it truly was perfect, unlike the mug she had taken from New York City’s The Mark hotel which was a travelling staple, until that day. And finally, Oprah mentioned that David’s Tea products would eventually be appearing in O Magazine as one of her favourite things.

A brand certainly could not ask for more. Congratulations to the team once again. We applaud your perseverance and loving what you do so much that others can’t help but love it too.

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Tickets will only be released on Wednesday, with a very high price tag starting at $95, but we can be sure the audience will be packed full of colourfully dressed men and women, wanting to know how to live their best life.

When it comes to branding, no one quite compares to Oprah Winfrey.

From her 25 seasons on air with the Oprah Winfrey show to her O magazine to her highly revered book club, this power house of a personal brand has covered all of her bases. But it seems as though her momentum has been losing steam ever since her infamous talk show went off the air.

We landed upon a very interesting article from the website Transformational Leadership: Coaching & Leadership Development for Women. Entitled Lessons Learned from Oprah’s Biggest Branding Failure, we were surprised to read that Oprah’s status dropped from number 50  (from number 10) on Fortune magazine’s Most Powerful Women in just two years. Why the quick decent?

According to the article, Oprah made four major mistakes which are great learning points for any brand, big or small.

1) Know what creates core value for your brand.

Oprah’s viewers wanted to see her on TV and to connect with her on a personal level. Once she changed that formula the bond was broken.

What do your customers love about your brand?

2) Don’t take something away that your most loyal consumers love.

Once you have figured out what that brand hook is never, ever change it.

3) To reach new audiences, start with your core brand promise.

Even when trying to target a different demographic that brand voice must stay true to remain aligned with your brand’s identity.

4) Failure helps you learn and come back stronger

Learn from your mistakes and always be authentic. Oprah’s visit to Montreal just may be a step in the right direction as she tries to re-connect on a more personal level with her fans.

All branding buzz aside, Oprah certainly is one of our favourites. We look forward to a very intimate evening with her, and secretly hope she’ll be sharing some of her favourites with us!

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