How does a 52-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon with a wife and four children become a household name, magazine cover star and beloved icon for ladies across the nation? For starters, it helps to know Oprah. And to be Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Though he’s also been on the cover of Time, it’s safe to say that the majority of magazines that Dr. Oz has appeared on are marketed to women, and that women are the ones snapping buying the issues. What is it about the good doctor that draws in the ladies?
In addition to the fact that he’s been sprinkled with Oprah’s magic dust, Dr. Oz’s success is kind of a no-brainer: A woman falling for a doctor is a pretty ancient trope; who wouldn’t want a man who is nurturing, healing, attentive, in tune to your body? Still, you don’t see Dr. Phil or the dude who wears scrubs 24/7 on The Doctors with their own magazine covers. Dr. Oz, with his Emmy-award winning TV show, simple recipes and easy-going attitude, has that intangible something. He’s handsome but not too perfect, experienced and intelligent but not cocky about it, affable and approachable. He’s such a hit with the ladies that he has his own Pinterest account.
Plus, Dr. Oz is really good at selling Dr. Oz. “He understands the promotion world as he understands your lower intestine,” Richard Stengel, managing editor of Time, tells the Times.
But perhaps Dr. Oz is just the right guy in the right place at the right time. Americans are scrambling for answers to their health-related questions, especially when it comes to diet and nutrition (you know, ladyproblems.) And unlike some of the Goopy hokum out there, Dr. Oz comes across with just the right amount of authority (we spoke to his “people,” who confirm that although he tapes 3 days a week, he continues to see patients on Thursdays at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center) and pseudo-cheeze appropriate for TV.
As Maggie Murphy, the editorial director of Parade puts it: “If you were looking for a doctor, this would be your guy. There’s always a need for a doctor, especially since George Clooney left ER.”
Today’s Key to Selling Magazines: A TV Doctor [NY Times]
