This article is one of three from a collection of celebrity brands that we think are the best and most influential to learn from. We’ve actually pulled these examples from our Free Celebrity Brand Training so if you’re interested in understanding the ins and outs of how these celebs have built empires through their brands, just scroll all the way to the bottom of this page and click on the “Free Celebrity Brand Training” button.

Part I | Oprah

When you hear the name “Oprah”, no one has to mention her last name to know exactly who they’re talking about. Just that right there is a testimony to what a powerful personal brand can do.

She leverages her talents for storytelling and deep empathy towards people to propel her brand further than even she initially thought she could. Oprah doesn’t let what others may think dictate her choices when it comes to who she interviews, supports, and what she says.

When it comes to her branding, she creates a sense of understanding and empathy. You can tell she has a desire to connect to others. She encourages people to look for the good around them. She’s someone you could probably just talk to for a few minutes and really feel heard.

I’ve never met her, but this all comes across clearly with her definitive personal brand. Yes, it’s taken years for her to be known the way she is now, but remember that when she was starting out on her morning show she garnered 100,000 more viewers than Phil Donahue in just a few short months.

Her brand displays feelings of friendship, trust, and comradery. There is a certain feeling you get when you hear or see this powerhouse of a woman, and it’s for a reason.

So what tactics has she implemented to scale her unique brand?

Natural gifts

From a young age, Oprah knew she had a passion for speaking. At age 3, she had addressed her church with an Easter story, thus beginning her journey to having a showed named after her.

BE your brand, LIVE your brand

Oprah doesn’t just say, “I support charities. I love working with communities.” She has The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, actively supports Project Cuddle, which rescues hundreds of babies from abandonment and abuse every year. She’s involved and she means it. Oprah’s aim wasn’t to be rich but to see money as an asset for how she can serve others in ways a lot of people can’t.

Use your experiences to inspire

She’s opened up on her show about her past of abuse and mistreatment as a young adult. She didn’t let that experience be her story. Oprah chose to use that experience to help write her story and eventually share it. Through that, she’s empowered countless women to speak up when something was wrong.

Encourage and empower others to share

When good things happen, you can choose to spread the goodness. Through Oprah’s large television network, she created a Book Club. Her Book Club is well known and is responsible for getting talented yet unheard of authors on bestselling lists. This shows people who are working towards their goals that helping others out when you can does more good than you can imagine.

Dream bigger

Instead of seeing an end goal, accomplishing it, and thinking “Ok, I’m done.” Oprah has had a mindset of, “Ok, what’s next?” That’s been her go-to for interviews, even for the people who have done not so great things. She doesn’t tell them they’re done. She inspires them to look to the next day, week, month, or year and see what they can accomplish.

If you’re wondering more about what secret sauce Oprah has don’t forget to hop on that free training linked below.

To get in touch and connected with Alimond Studio, click any of the links below. Don’t forget – we also have a super amazing not-networking event called My Growth Tribe where like-minded industry experts cultivate connections. Find out when the next event is below!

Cheers!

The A Team