Blog

Every time a direct seller has an issue with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), critics of the industry are quick to jump on it, hailing it as a step in the right direction towards shutting down multi-level marketing completely. They’ll say that it is finally being outed as an unsustainable business practice — that they’re all just pyramid schemes in disguise.

Kate Donovan has joined Momentum Factor, the leading digital firm for Direct Selling Companies, as its Director of Business Development.

In the wake of recent FTC actions, a new pattern of consumer protection action has emerged: companies who go too far in their marketing or give the appearance of an anti-consumer bias may be putting their companies at great risk.

Judge John J. Tuchi yesterday amended his temporary restraining order in the Vemma case – and it has HUGE ramifications for direct sellers. Join us on Tuesday, September 22 at 1 pm Central for a critical update webcast to discuss these important industry developments.

Mark Zuckerberg just announced in a public Q&A that Facebook is working on adding a new button to its commenting features. Though some have jumped to the conclusion that this will be equivalent to a “dislike” button, Zuckerberg left room for interpretation about what exactly the buttons will do.

The Reputation Institute recently published a report identifying the key trends driving reputation management for the next few years. While primarily focused on organizations whose brands are household names, the report does provide useful insight for direct sellers concerned about reputation (which they all should be).

Mark your calendar and plan on joining Momentum Factor at this fall's Direct Selling Symposium, the premier educational experience for starting and growing a direct selling company. As part of the event, Momentum Factor CEO & Founder Jonathan Gilliam will be presenting on topics of social media and digital marketing for early-stage companies.

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing Herbalife Ltd. and its chief executive officer of misrepresenting the weight-loss and nutritional products maker's sales practices as legitimate when the company was "at its core" a pyramid scheme.

Great article from the Harvard Business Review on how risk should be integrated in a company's day-to-day operation rather than as a side function.

Our social and online reputation teams have noticed a recent rise in what we affectionately refer to here as "Insta-Spam." That is, spam bots leaving fake comments from fake profiles, or hashtag hijackers posting dozens if not hundreds of often inappropriate photos, directly tagged to client brand names.