Oprah Winfrey is no stranger to product placement in her broadcasts; her “Favorite Things” episodes are equal parts public frenzy and high-value product exposure for sponsors. With that kind of experience, one would think the Oprah empire would avoid gaffes such as the one made during her recent “Aussie Countdown.”
The episode, aired ahead of Winfrey’s trip downunder, featured a segment with a report by Australian TV personality Carrie Bickmore. Bickmore’s report, meant to educate the audience on Australian culture, sparked an upset when she said Australians like to spend time at “hip hangouts” called McDonald’s.
After explaining that in Australia men are called “blokes” and women “sheilas,” Bickmore let out a bizarre and forced product placement for McDonald’s McCafe. “While there are a lot of differences, there is one comforting similarity,” she said in the segment. “While you have your diners, we have McCafes. Guys come for business meetings; girls come for a catch-up over coffee. It’s all just a little bit fancy… In Australia, McDonald’s are called Maccas. They’re hip hangouts where people sip gourmet coffees in the McCafes and dine from a menu exclusive to Australia.”
Tourism Australia is partnering with The Oprah Winfrey Show and will see Winfrey, her correspondents and 300 viewers travel on an eight-day trip to Australia to film at least two episodes of the program during December. “The Oprah Winfrey” show airs in Australia on the Ten Network, where Bickmore is employed.
McDonald’s did not comment for this story on whether the fast-feeder sponsored any parts of the show, referring calls to Harpo Productions, the company that produces The Oprah Winfrey Show. A spokesman for Harpo confirmed that McDonald’s was a sponsor for the Aussie Countdown episode, along with Qantas (an audience member received a free trip for two to Australia), Motorola (audience members received free phones) and Tourism Australia, which is covering the ground costs of the visit (no money is going directly to Harpo). The spokesman added that as is customary with sponsors of the show, their promotional consideration was acknowledged as part of the broadcast.
With a celebrity like Winfrey, who regularly engages in sponsorships and product placements, can one misguided product placement damage brand Oprah? It’s not likely. “In terms of Oprah brand, it’s an awfully strong one. You always worry about death by 1,000 cuts, but it would have to become a pattern where there are a lot of these types of promotions,” said Kevin Lane Keller, professor of marketing at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. “It would have to be much worse. She’s got some really loyal fans. People give her the benefit of the doubt. But as a one-off, people might think this is a little weird.”
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