As Tom Hanks said on an Oprah show earlier this season, the phrase “Did you see Oprah today?” is going to be removed from our vocabulary after today. Today marks the end of the 25 year run of The Oprah Show.

Let’s take a moment to relive some of our favorite moments. You get a car and you get a car. Tom Cruise jumping on the sofa. Johnnnnn Traaaaavollltaaaa. Oprah’s Book Club (who read A Million Little Pieces and loved it as much as I did?). Mattie and his poems. Oprah in Texas. Oprah and Tina. Dieting Oprah who made us all feel better about our struggles. The a-ha moments. Oprah’s hair through the years. The ugly cries, especially when Mary Tyler Moore surprised her.

In 25 years, it is not just the show that evolved but also her brand. The Oprah show initially was a little risqué and reminiscent of what became the Ricki Lake show. Slowly over the years, it evolved into a self-help, mentally stimulating, celebratory show. The Oprah brand launched the careers of personalities like Dr. Phil, Nate Berkus, Bob Greene and Dr. Oz. Her endorsement is the golden touch. Marketers strove for just one mention of their brand on the air to have sales explode.

Love her or hate her, you must recognize the impact she’s had on the world. Oprah is a big part of everyday culture (Did you see that on Oprah? Did you read that in her magazine? Did you watch OWN last night?). She used her brand to successfully launch both a magazine and a network at a time when many were struggling to stay afloat. She made topics once considered taboo easy to talk about with friends and family. She told great stories by asking provocative questions. She had the knack of presenting topics or guests in a way that helped people think about them a little differently.

As someone who has grown up watching Oprah, my life has been impacted in a few small ways. I didn’t sleep for a year after watching a show about ghosts when I was younger. I DVRed the Favorite Things episodes so that when I have a bad day I can see the crazy excitement in other people’s faces. I realized (at a young age) that my actions impact the world around me. I can choose for that impact to be positive or negative. And my favorite lesson, “No is a complete sentence.”

No one but Ms. Winfrey knows what her next move will be, but there are millions of people out there eagerly waiting for it. How do you think Brand Oprah will evolve?

Use the comments section to tell us your favorite memories from The Oprah Show.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

For those of you who have been following our recent tweases (Twitter teases) noted by our hashtag #AW3095, you already know the news. For everyone else, it’s our pleasure to introduce Insperity, formerly Administaff.

Addison Whitney has been working with the Insperity team since February 2009 and is so proud of its team’s hard work throughout the process, and especially at the launch some members of our team were lucky enough to attend.

We are excited to begin our Insperity series to highlight the key steps from throughout our more than two year relationship with the Insperity team. Throughout each post we will give you some insight into things we learned or just fun facts from each phase.

Here are some headlines to get you excited and coming back for a double dip of Brand Salsa.

- Market Research – gathering key insights from current and future customers
- Brand Strategy – who are we and what to do with all of these offerings and brands
- Verbal Branding – farewell Administaff, hello Insperity
- Visual Branding – Insperity’s new look and feel
- Brand Rollout – dancing in the streets of Houston
- What Makes a Great Project Team – we’ll tell you because we worked with a fantastic one at Insperity

Stay tuned!

We have some very exciting news here at Addison Whitney. But, we can’t tell you yet. And we’re having a great time tweasing (Twitter teasing) you.

If you don’t already follow @brandsalsa or @addisonwhitney, we would love for you to follow us now.

Each day, we’re giving you written or picture clues to where we are headed to celebrate with one of our favorite clients.


Stay tuned to brand salsa to learn more.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Did you hear that noise earlier last week? It was the sound of millions of Americans rejoicing. Why? The McRib is back, of course.

Considering there’s a McDonald’s on every corner, it’s interesting how McDonald’s has been able to make a pork sandwich so exclusive. Thousands wait for sightings each year on the McRib locator website. Facebook groups beg for its return. Well folks, prayers have been answered because 2010 is the magical year when all U.S. McDonald’s are carrying the sandwich (for a limited time of course).

I think the last McRib I had was in 1996, but something about the McRib is exciting each year. And not just for me, remember Jack Osbourne’s excitement (video is bleeped but probably NSFW)?

This year, McDonald’s McRib ad campaign highlights the love and passion people have for the sandwich as opposed to focusing on the exclusivity alone. Yep, love and passion for a pork sandwich.

Have you had a McRib sandwich yet?