Traditionally, anything Oprah touches turns to gold. Get your product into her ‘favorite things’, or even mentioned in passing on her show, and you’re in for a tsunami of sales. So, the makers of electronic reading device Kindle are undoubtedly salivating with the sales prospects after she recommended their product last week and offered a special $50 discount with the promotional code “OPRAHWINFREY”.
From Eco Geek:
But can Oprah do for the Kindle what she’s done for her book club selections? Even with the promotional discount, the gadget costs more than $300 and the e-reader has had a tough time catching on. The environmental benefits are obvious, but it’s hard to justify the purchase when checking out books from the library is also an eco-friendly choice. And that’s free. Plus there’s the fact that most people are holding their dollars pretty close right now. All this could equal a moderate increase in sales, but not an overwhelming response.
That does seem awfully expensive, but as Hank Green mentions in his overview of the Kindle, it’s a virtual pocket library. For a bibliophile like myself, the idea of having literally hundreds of books at your fingertips at any given moment is incredibly attractive. The EV-DO wireless broadband lets you download books anywhere, too – so you’re never without reading material. Ultimately, I’m too much of a romantic to give up buying actual books – especially since I collect old, used ones. But it seems like a cool idea nonetheless.
We’re definitely in an economic downturn where people are less likely to run out and spend money on frivolous things, but I think that with Oprah’s endorsement, the Amazon Kindle could still get a huge bump in holiday sales.
