If you want to sell an anti aging product or treatment then the holy grail of marketing is Oprah.

The most amazing aspect of the Oprah phenomenon is the amount of power and influence she wields over the average consumer. For many anti aging product manufacturers it's like striking gold.

Oprah likes to feature products before anyone else gets hold of them and such is her power that they inevitably become the next big thing - whether they work or not.

Very few Americans had actually heard of Thermage until it featured on Oprah's TV show. As just about everyone now knows - Thermage is a skin tightening treatment based on a radio wave machine - billed as" the lunchtime facelift" without the pain or the downtime of the real thing.

In fact when Oprah featured the procedure - sales of the Thermage machines to clinics across America went through the roof. And the interest among the general public was just as strong - with many women booking the treatment on the strength of the show alone.

Amazing when you consider that the average Thermage treatment costs in the region of $3500!

It's the same with anti aging creams and skin care products. When Oprah decides to introduce a particular product to her nine million daily viewers - the manufacturers know they've struck gold.

It's probably fair to say that Philosophy's now famous brand name was made by Oprah. Philosophy's Hope In A Jar Daily Moisturizer was selling in just a few small outlets when Oprah picked it up and talked about it in one of her shows in the mid 1990's.

Almost overnight the company had it's distinctive brand recognized all over America and sales sky rocketed. No wonder the company's founder, Cristina Carlito calls Philosophy "the house that Oprah built"

Similar good fortune came the way of Freeze 24/7 after Oprah demonstrated this botox alternative on her show.  Oprah's magic touch also launched Dremu's anti aging skin care range to huge acclaim.  Dremu had previously been the preserve of in-the-know celebs before Oprah got millions chasing the products. 

Oprah's marketing power comes without any responsibility for the effectiveness of the products she endorses. That's the nature of the game of course. These are personal selections and Oprah usually has good taste - many of the anti aging skin care products earn rave reviews from satisfied customers. Usually she picks them because they work.

Because of the nature of the TV ratings game - Oprah likes to feature products that no one else has discovered - it makes much better prime time TV.   But the fact that she wants to be first off the blocks should carry a large health warning as far as any kind of medical procedure is concerned

You're unlikely to suffer any serious damage if an anti aging cream doesn't work - except a slight dent in your wallet.  But getting a complex and risky anti aging procedure like Thermage because it's featured on Oprah is madness - as a number of viewers realized to their cost.

In the early days of Thermage - the equipment had problems and there were quite a few cases of burns and disfiguring lumps and bumps following the treatment. Oprah's coverage generated sales of the Thermage machines to clinics and operators who didn't have the experience or the medical background to use them properly. The result - in some cases - was disaster.

So the moral of the tale is - tune in and enjoy the show but don't take Oprah's recommendations as fact. You or your wallet may live to regret it!

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