Were you one of the millions of people “ugly-crying” while watching the finale of The Oprah Winfrey Show? Growing up, it seemed like everyone was obsessed with Oprah, which I never understood…until yesterday. It caught me by surprise, but I became an Oprah fan in merely a matter of seconds while watching the final episode and could not hold back my tears.
Oprah hosted her first show on New Year’s Day in 1984 “in my best Anne Klein II velour outfit.” Her guests were a few Chicago football players, and she had no audience. However, she eventually created a vision and fulfilled what once seemed impossible.
After 25 years of history-making, life-changing television, it was bittersweet to see her share her favorite clips throughout the years, recount what she’s learned during the show’s quarter-century run and declare her “Love Letter” to her fans. Although her farewell was emotional, it included great words of wisdom and invaluable tips for success.
The following are a few that resonated the most for me and might be especially helpful to recent graduates:
- Recognize your strengths and act upon them.
- Always show up.
- Listen carefully.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Be responsible for your life, the energy that you create for yourself and bring to others.
- Understand that you are not alone – find a mentor or create a support group.
- Give back to others.
Probably Oprah’s greatest strength was her ability to speak directly to her audience. She had an amazing knack for understanding her audience and connecting with them. Here at Cookerly, that’s something we strive for every day. We know the importance of understanding our client’s target audience and connecting with them. Whether that is through media relations, social media or other channels, we use the best tools to deliver measurable results.
Contact us and we’ll instantly show you why we are a leading public relations and marketing communications agency. We have the Cookerly Effect!
And, in case you missed it, catch the final moments of the show on Oprah’s website.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman specializes in building and maintaining relationships with the media and has an excellent track record of landing significant placements in print and broadcast media including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Money Magazine.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Matt helps organizations protect and advance their reputations and bottom lines through strategic communications programs. Using creativity, planning and flawless execution, he works with a team to deliver compelling public relations campaigns that produce results and support clients’ business objectives.