Sound Bytes

As public relations professionals, one of the things that gets our blood pumping is that big media hit. It makes us feel good and it makes our clients feel even better. The Today Show, USA Today, or Live With Regis & Kelly are just a few of the big media opportunities that many PR pros often dream of landing their story, product or client on.

Now imagine the product you're pitching is the American presidency and you land it on the Oprah Winfrey show. Wait a second! This is actually happening, sort of. By now you've probably read the headlines and stories just about everywhere regarding Oprah Winfrey endorsing Barack Obama's Democratic nomination campaign. Let's face it, there's probably no one better than the queen of daytime television to get behind your product and help create awareness and influence the public. We're all familiar with the power Winfrey possesses - she just has to mention a book and it becomes an instant best seller, or name her favorite product and it flies off of store shelves. Winfrey has the power to influence millions, but can she influence people's vote?

Time will tell and no one is quite clear as to what Winfrey will bring to Barack's campaign. If I had to guess it would be that she's brought a new level of awareness to Barack by reaching out to her millions of faithful viewers. And if that's the strategy, then it has already paid off.