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September 30, 2006
Quixtar's National Ad Campaign
By QBlog in Quixtar
The greatly anticipated Quixtar Ad Campaign has finally arrived. According to Quixtar (restricted access) the first Quixtar-specific television spots air October 1 on NBC during Sunday Night Football.
Some ads featuring Amway have already aired in Michigan in an apparent move to respond to criticisms that surfaced during the gubernatorial campaign of former Amway leader Dick DeVos.
More Quixtar ads are planned for the rest of the year (pdf) including some featuring Nutrilite, Quixtar's premiere product. Quixtar explains the ad campaign:
A multimillion-dollar ad campaign for Quixtar, Alticor, and Nutrilite has launched in the U.S. and Canada.
The goal of this expansive ad program is to generate excitement and pride in the Quixtar business opportunity and in the NUTRILITE brand. By creating and running its own ads, Quixtar will no longer allow its critics to define this business. Instead, Quixtar will tell its own story, in its own words, and on its own terms.
It's interesting that the primary motivation for Quixtar's ad campaign appears to be a reaction to "its critics." Quixtar is not only trying to tell "its own story" but is using a relaunched Quixtar Facts site to tell the story of some of its critics as well. I'll have an additional comment about that later.
But first, let's get a sneak peek at the ads. I've found four commercials and all of them are expertly crafted pieces of marketing. They exude the sort of image branding often aired during the Sunday morning talk shows for financial, health or agricultural companies. There's no real call to action, just some nice branding to make the viewer feel good about the business.
The Land of Will
This first ad mentions the critics in a roundabout way. The narrator says, "of course there will be doubters. Those who stumble upon a half-filled glass and think only of how thirsty they might be." Who are these doubters? Are they the folks that choose not to become Quixtar IBOs? Contrast those two lines from the commercial with the comments of Rich DeVos, Amway's Co-Founder, from his infamous Directly Speaking tapes:
There are no losers in Amway. There are people who choose not to do it; but who are you to tell some teacher that chooses to spend the rest of his life as a dedicated teacher that he's a loser? Who are you to tell a truck driver that chooses to spend more of his time doing things other than Amway, and maybe just drivin' his truck, that he's a loser? Whoever gave you a license to brand people?
So, who are these doubters? The commercial continues by explaining that the land of will is where the narrator lives, and that it is populated by over half a million others which clearly refers to Quixtar IBOs. So the "Land of Will" is those in Quixtar and the doubters are those outside of Quixtar?
Won't Becomes Will
This commercial is shorter and just talks about "won't" becoming "will." I like this ad much better than the first. It's optimistic and leaves out the ambiguous finger-pointing at those doubters.
Nutrilite - Plant Tour
This commercial kicks it in so many ways. I like it. No talking, just music, images and text. Very well done.
Nutrilite - Package
Another great looking commercial. I'm starting to think Quixtar should just stick to marketing its products and stop with the whole opportunity thing.
Final Comments
I like these commercials and I know that if I were an IBO I'd be excited about them. When my wife was involved with Quixtar I often wondered why the corporation didn't do any advertising. It was so difficult to explain the business to people sometimes and it seemed that just a little national brand awareness would go a long way towards helping her business. When I questioned her and her upline about the lack of advertising I was told that Quixtar doesn't advertise so it can put more money into the hands of its IBOs.
Hogwash. I don't know why Quixtar didn't regularly advertise but it certainly wasn't so it could give more money to IBOs. That's the same faulty logic that says building a new downtown arena will jeopardize the quality of education in public schools or that waging war in Iraq means the homeless aren't being fed. One is not connected to the other. Money put in one place doesn't mean it's pulled from another place.
Oh well, I guess Quixtar finally dropped the "money into IBO pockets" charade and decided to do what's right for its IBOs. Good for Quixtar.
And finally, I have to mention Quixtar's comments about Search Engine Marketing which are clearly a response to my exposure of their Web Reputation Task Force. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization. In my current position I spend over half a million dollars a year doing exactly what Quixtar claims to be doing. Businesses must be aware of search engines and work to be ranked as favorably as possible.
However, there are two types of search engine marketing techniques — white hat and black hat. For a time, Quixtar was doing a bit of black hat SEO. I exposed this, reported it to Google and on February 6, 2005, their site dropped off the first page result of Google for searching the word "Quixtar." That was the "Oh Crap" moment when Quixtar realized that such black hat tactics had to stop immediately. And they did.
Soon after, Quixtar started following Google's best practices and at the end of May, 2005, Mark Glaser asked Peter Norvig, director of search quality at Google, about Quixtar's drop from the first page of results. Within days of Glaser's interview Quixtar returned to its rightful spot at Google.
So, I'm not complaining about SEO or SEM. All I did was point out some black hat tactics employed by Quixtar. They got slapped and straightened up their act and as far as I can see, are now wearing white hats in the SEO/SEM arena.
September 24, 2006
Spotted in Michigan
By QBlog in Quixtar
Promotions
By Preston in Quixtar
Worldwide DreamBuilders has a new promotion for Quixtar available on its site: Free shipping to new IBOs and their clients.
It is interesting to note that at the bottom there is a section describing "Standards of Conduct"
World Wide Dreambuilders IBOs have been offered the opportunity to participate in this program because of the high standards of ethics that have been maintained by this organization for many years. This program is being offered to incentivize volume outside of the existing IBO base. As a condition of participation, World Wide Group has agreed to extensive monitoring of this program by Quixtar to ensure that there is no order manipulation to achieve free freight for anyone other than Clients or IBOs less then 90 days in the business. Any existing IBOs who violate Rules or guidelines of the new IBO or Client free shipping test program are subject to Rules sanctions up to and including termination. - (Emphasis added)
I wonder how often Quixtar chooses to do such monitoring. Surely if they have the ability to peak into the inner workings of an organization like WWDB to extensively monitor it they ought to be able to keep a look out for the "bad apples" like my former upline who do not represent the best (or most as some IBOs would say) of Quixtar, could they not?
September 19, 2006
Name It Claim It
By Preston in A/QMOs
One thing that struck me as interesting when I was involved with WorldWide Dreambuilders was the unique spin on which they took on the scriptures and teachings of the Bible. On numerous occasions I was told to "Speak it into existence" and "Name it and Claim it". I even purchased a book from the book list which was about 100 pages about the very topic of the power of "positive confession" and speaking things into existence (the books name escapes me at this moment).
Sitting in Church this past Sunday, my Pastor began his sermon with a reading from the Gospel as usual, then went on to explain how he had been told about a Time Magazine article on the cover this issue: Does God Want You to Be Rich?. As I listened to his sermon (mp3), I was taken back to some of the "functions" and "night owls" I was at when I was in "The Business". I was delighted to hear yet another perspective on just how false such things are. He gets at something that bothered me heavily when I was in - the fact that the speakers use scriptures and proclaim it as the Word of God that we might be rich to do good things. This is not the case - and Mr. X proved this in his blog as he went through the BWW training system and compared the cult like aspects of them.
I encourage you to listen to the sermon and comment back - in my opinion the religious side of the "business" is one of the most interesting topics to discuss, and it may get more interesting with the accreditation removing the influences of "God" from the "success" of Quixtar.
September 10, 2006
I've Been Amwayed
By QBlog in Amway
September 8, 2006
Quixtar Rule Change: Vendor Arbitration
By David Robison in Arbitration
UPDATE - The following entry appeared briefly at Quixtar Blog shortly after 6:00 PM CDT, but due to an editing change, it was accidently deleted. The entry needed editing, but in the interest of the integrity of Quixtar Blog, the entry appears unedited as originally posted.
My apologies to the readers.
- Dave
There was a recent announcement that Quixtar and a Quixtar IBO leader were going back to court to settle a dispute that arose out of the sale of motivational materials. The original case was first heard during a legal arbitration. This arbitration was held on the belief that Quixtar could bind the IBO leader to arbitration based on the BSMAA (Business Support Materials Arbitration Agreement).
The IBO leader was also the owner of a company producing the business support materials. During the case, his BSM company was found to be separate from his Quixtar Independent Business and not subject to the arbitration.
I hate to say it, but once again Alticor is playing "catch up." Or as my Momma used to say, "Closing the gate, after the cows done got out."
It would seem that Alticor and Quixtar expected this case to move forward and have revised the Quixtar Rules of Conduct. Quixtar made the Rules Change announcement on August 29, 2006.
"At its June 2006 meeting, the Independent Business Owners Association International Board recommended the adoption of Rule 7.3 and the Vender Arbitration Agreement (VAA), and a clarification to Rule 4.14.1 of the Rules of Conduct.
Rule 7.3, the VAA, and the clarification of Rule 4.14.1 were adopted by the Corporation and will take effect immediately."
The addition of the new Rule and Rule clarification will also be included in the next revision of the Business Reference Guide." (A PDF version of the guide can be read at this link.)
7.3.5- Every BSM Company must agree in writing to submit to confidential binding arbitration any dispute arising from or relating to the Quixtar business or to BSM:
between the BSM Company and any IBO;
between the BSM Company and any other BSM Company or any of its predecessors, successors, affiliates, parents, officers, directors or employees; or
between the BSM Company and Quixtar Inc. or any of its predecessors, successors, affiliates, parents, officers, directors or employees.
BSM Companies will comply with this requirement by either (a) executing the Vendor Arbitration Agreement ("VAA") or (b) by executing an agreement of substantially similar scope.
Language in the Vendor Arbitration Agreement begins with a legal recital:
Quixtar provides a multilevel business opportunity to independent business owners ("IBOs') throughout North America.
BSM Company is not an IBO. BSM Company produces for and/or sells to certain IBOs and their affiliated organizations ("LOAs") motivational and training materials such as tapes, books, audio-visual materials and meeting and seminar programs(hereinafter"BSMs") that are designed to aid and support the LOAs and individual IBOs in the development of their Quixtar-related businesses; BSM Company and Quixtar desire to minimize the time and expense that might be involved in resolving any disputes between BSM Company and Quixtar, or disputes between BSM Company and any Quixtar IBO, or disputes between BSM Company and any other company involved in the publication, production, distribution or sale of BSMs intended for use by IBOs, which may arise out of or relate in any way to BSM Company’s sales of BSMs to the LOAs and individual IBOs that purchase same.
The current legal case will move forward, I'm sure; but this new rule seems to be an additional hoop for the current IBO leaders to jump through in the new "campaign" to reign in the "motivational organizations."
Whether it is too little, too late, remains to be seen.
September 4, 2006
Believe The Movie
By QBlog in Humor
There's a new movie coming to theaters that may do to Multilevel Marketing what "Spinal Tap" did to rock and roll. The film is "Believe" and it looks like a hilarious parody of the MLM industry, specifically Amway.
The IMDB entry records the movie's release date as 2005 but according to The Flint Journal the first screenings will be in "select Michigan cities, including Flint, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and Lansing" in October.
The movie's writer and director, Loki Mulholland, was a former Amway salesman and he's releasing the film just in time to possibly impact Dick DeVos' gubernatorial campaign. Mulholland said that he think's "it's fair that people get a proper perspective about Amway, because this man (DeVos) grew up in the industry."
Mulholland also has an interesting perspective of what the average Quixtar IBO can expect to earn in the business:
“On the surface, $345 million is an impressive number, but in fact it’s not very substantial at all when you see what it means for the average individual Amway distributor,” said Loki Mulholland, writer and director of "BELIEVE". “Most Amway distributors make less than $100 per month. I don’t know about anyone else, but that’s not enough money for me to quit my regular job and retire.”
To learn more about Mulholland check out the interview from JackassCritics.com.
And be sure to spend some time on the official Believe - The Movie website.
September 2, 2006
How Amway Does Sales
By Preston in Amway
I'm from Washington State - and am young. I had never heard of Amway until I joined Quixtar. From the first meetings I couldn't understand why people kept having to deflect criticism about being a cult. I didn't know where they came from. Thats why I have been so interested in Amway's advertising campaign, and just how closely they seem to tie with the gubernatorial race.
At any rate, I had to chuckle when I read, yet again, one more select quote that has so much in common with countless others. Amway's public perception campaign might go a little better if they extended it to Quixtar. After all, it is not like Alticor tries to hide the relationship, unlike other IBO's might try to dodge the question.
"The issue with Amway was never the quality of their products or the employees that make the products. It's the business practices and how they do their sales,"Sarpolus said.
September 1, 2006
Allan Tui is a Fraud
By QBlog in Web Initiative
I don't mind criticism but if you're going to dish it out, at least have the decency to be honest about it.
A guy calling himself Allan Tui made a comment on Robert Scoble's blog recently criticizing some of the things I've done. Fine. No biggie right?
In fact, I think it's great that he wants to criticize me and examine my work. But I also think it's great to do the same to Allan Tui. Let's examine his comments and I'll add my own comments in bold.
Allan Tui says - My only experience with blogs was the last presidential election and I concluded blogs were no different then people standing in the town square hurling insults at each other.
That would have been the 2004 elections, nearly two years ago. Ok, so no blogs in two years.
I have a good friend who obviously excels in his efforts based upon the people who have hired him who convinced me to read your book.
Even though it was difficult for me to admit I may have been wrong, the logic and clarity in your book made complete sense.
Classic ego-stroking. It's a good tactic but it's more of an audience play than anything in this case. Or maybe it's genuine, but read on and the BS gets easier to spot.
Tonight, to celebrate his victory, he decided I was ready for the next step and took me to your blog.
What a celebration! A visit to Scoble's blog. The guy obviously can post a comment on a blog, visit political blogs and form an opinion but he needs his "friend" to take him to Scoble's blog for a "celebration?" Wha?
There were some obviously emotional comments about Quixtar and a long post from a Quixtar consumer advocate named Eric Jannsen. My tutor showed me how to go to his site and the front page talks about a Quixtar web strategy to drown out the other side.
First of all, spell my damn name correctly. Try this - select, copy, paste. Thanks. Secondly, his "tutor showed me how to go to his site?" Who calls their friend tutor and who the hell has to be shown how to get to a damn site? I'll tell you who. Nobody except people who are pretending to be web newbies to earn a little "outsider's perspective" street cred. Puh-leeze!
After a five minute lesson on Google bombing we went to Quixtar’s home site and then spent the next hour on other corporate sites affiliated with Quixtar.
Spent an HOUR on corporate sites affiliated with Quixtar? Like what? BWW? Team? WWDB? All those require a login. How does Allan Tui and his "tutor" spend an hour on restricted sites? Maybe they're on really slow dial-up?
I discovered they were part of a multinational company that sells billions of dollars a year in product that appeared to be mostly consumables with an emphasis on their nutrition line. They appear to have a good standard in consumer protection via a substantial return and refund policy for those that are dissatisfied. Quixtar is actually a successor company to Amway in North America while Amway operates in most of the rest of the world. In short, if I was interested in purchasing or involvement I could find the information.
Really? It took Allan and his "tutor" an hour to find all that out? Some tutor. Took me 30 seconds. And why does Allan, who's learning about Quixtar for the first time from my blog, write about it like some press release? Hmmmm? Not a shred of skepticism.
My expert explained to me SEO and showed me how Quixtar and the other sites optimize for better search engine ratings but said he could see nothing they were doing that was not industry accepted.
So now the "tutor" is an expert? Great. And that expert obviously didn't spend that hour of research reading Mark Glaser's article about Quixtar.
We then went back to the site that represented themselves as a Quixtar consumer advocate and waded through the blogs. After thirty minutes I realized I was back in the town square again. Most everyone is screeching about Quixtar with little of no substance and it appears a few Quixtar people trying to respond rationally and getting trashed for their temerity.
Really? Those poor little Quixtar people trying so desperately to have a nice, civil conversation are getting screeched at by the mean Quixtar critics. Sure, those critics can be total assholes but some of the nastiest comments ever posted on my blog came from alleged "Quixtar people." Shall I remind you of Qrush?
I realize corporate sites only give us corporate speak. I wish they didn’t but everyone understands that is what we wade through. What is the premise for the belief that there is more value in acquiring information by wading through people’s rantings on blog sites, such as the one I visited, rather then a corporate site. Neither is transparent but as least I can recognize the corporate site for what it is and it is also has legal obligations that don’t extend to blogs.
Did Allan really just say what I think he said? Even after reading Scoble's book? Me thinks he didn't really read the book. The value of blogs is that they aren't edited, controlled and filtered by the gatekeepers. There's lots of crap but there's also real power which is exactly part of Scoble's point in the post that Allan Tui was commenting on. Did he read the post I wonder?
Also, what legal obligations do corporations have that bloggers don't have? Suddenly corporations are required to tell the whole truth about their business and bloggers get to lie? Bah! Corporations were built on PR spin and truth distortions. It's the American way. And yes, bloggers get to do the same thing but where's the inequity here? Doesn't it seem odd that Allan Tui is running to the defense of corporate America on his very first, and only, blog post?
I apologize for the length of this. My “coach” is telling me this is improperly lengthy for a blog. Your book is the only thing I have read that made sense to me and while I believe in the value and power of word of mouth discussion I don’t think I am the only person who doesn’t know how to discern where to get accurate information from blogs.
So now the expert is a "coach." And Scoble's book is the only thing he read that made sense to him? What kind of statement is that?
So, yeah. I absolutely believe that Allan Tui is a fabrication of some rabid Quixtar defender who's lying about his connection to blogging and the business to convince others that he's providing a glimpse into what the average Joe American perceives from blogs like this one.
I call them like I see them and Allan Tui's whole comment reads exactly like the poorly written copy that Quixtar churned out during its Google Bombing heyday. I say Allan Tui is a fraud!
BS Meter Broken
The reason I even made this post is because one IBO's BS meter appears to be broken and he latched onto Allan Tui's comment like it was the benchmark for a Gallup Opinion Poll. Now, I admit my BS meter is a little over-sensitive but come on, can anyone read Allan Tui's comment and really conclude that it's some pristine, unsolicited insight into the mind of those unfamiliar with blogs, Quixtar or the raging Quixtar controversy played out on blogs like this one?
And as an aside, doesn't it seem odd that Allan spent at least two hours with his friend-expert-tutor-coach at the computer learning about blogs AND Quixtar? Together! I can see it now:
"Hey Allan, what are you doing tonight?"
"Not a thing friend-expert-tutor-coach. Want to come over and learn me something?"
"Sure, I'll be right there. And I'm bringing an extra mouse this time so we can both use the computer at the same time. Last night was great wasn't it?"
"It sure was. I learned all about the great business opportunity known as Quixtar which enables regular people like you and me to make some extra money!"
"Yes, that was great fun. Tonight I thought we could learn all about Dick DeVos."
"Who is Dick DeVos? He sounds like a really great guy who would do a wonderful job leading a group of people, maybe even an entire state, into prosperity and bliss."
"Don't jump ahead Allan. You're going to spend the next four hours sitting in my lap at the computer desk while I show you all about Dick DeVos. And I'll even let you post a comment."
"Thanks friend-expert-tutor-coach!"
Amway TV Commercials
By QBlog in Amway
Is it just me or does it seem like these TV ads are more of a PR move to help out Dick DeVos than an effort to really market the Amway brand?
Amway: We're Your Neighbors
By David Robison in Amway
Nope, it's not as catchy of a phrase as "the pause that refreshes" or as direct as "15 minutes could save you hundreds on auto insurance," but it is the slogan used in an Amway television commercial.
A commercial that didn't air on some late night Andy Griffith re-run on a WB affiliate; but it did air during major televised NFL football games.
The commercial featured the standard "heartland" instrumental score, with shots of Amway distributors (actors) working in their daily jobs. I specifically remember the farmer on his tractor in the field. And the voice-over was something like "What kind of people are Amway distributors?" (paraphrased from memory) and it ended with a distributor and a kid sitting somewhere peaceful and serene (maybe it was the farmer) and then "Amway" would appear on the screen with the voice-over saying Amway... We're Your Neighbors."
Since I announced Quixtar would start an advertising campaign featuring both TV and print ads in the coming months, there's been some talk about how Quixtar "doesn't advertise." But, "doesn't advertise" doesn't mean "would never advertise" or "have never advertised."
Beth Dornan at Inside Quixtar Communications stated:
"It's true that Quixtar hasn't advertised since its launch in 1999. But Amway did, with a modest campaign that ended in the late 1990s. At the beginning of the decade the focus was on the environment, with a series in Time that showcased a relationship with the National Wildlife Federation and a Newsweek series that encouraged schools to develop environmental programs and be rewarded through the "Class Act" environmental competition. Ads also were featured in Ebony and other pubs.
...While we aren't going to be a major advertiser, helping increase awareness and understanding of Quixtar and our products will benefit all IBO businesses."
Well, this reminded me of a lot of advertising that Amway (the folks that brought you Quixtar) has done in the past. Even Beth Dornan might not be aware of.
This advertising was way before the World-Wide Web was popular, so I can't provide you with many specific links, you'll just have to trust me; I'm wearing that new cologne.
Amway ran advertisements in publications such as the Reader's Digest. These ads pictured a particular room in a house, with the headline: "How many Amway products?" Usually, the obvious SA-8 or LOC was visible but, many more were in plain sight, including catalog merchandise. At the bottom of the ad was a B&W graphic to tell you how many were in the ad and where they were located.
Amway infomercials? Yep. They existed, too. A 20-minute TV program usually aired on a "minor" cable network of the time, showing lavish lifestyles, yachts, fine motor cars, and distributors living the good life and explaining how it all was because of Amway.
Amway even publicized the airings and featured schedules in the "Amagram" magazine sent to distributors, so you could arrange meetings to correspond with the episodes. My small town did not have cable, so I drove to a friend's house and made them endure the program so I could be "in the loop."
Amway was a sponsor of the Paul Harvey radio program.
Amway sponsored a syndicated TV program called "Inside Business" in cooperation with the US Chamber of Commerce.
Amway sponsored an educational program, aimed at children, on economics called "The Incredible Bread Machine." And while this was more of a live, in-school promotion, rather than a blatant advertisement, it was highly publicized.
Of course, my favorite Amway advertisement was the one you could only catch a glimpse of as it traveled 212MPH around an Indy Car track. Amway's Winning Spirit driven by Scott Brayton could be seen every Sunday in the early 1990s on TV during race season.
And lest we forget, Amway even allowed distributors to advertise.
Yep, the Amway Business Manual of the 1980s contained pages of "ad copy" pre-approved for newspaper classifieds. All the distributor had to do was insert his name and phone number. Direct Distributors (Quixtar Platinums) could even order audio tapes ready for broadcast on the distributor's local radio stations.
Magazine and newspaper "ad slicks" were also available for any distributor to customize with name address and phone number for local publication. I placed a few of those myself in 1991.
So, Quixtar maybe doesn't have a history of its own in mainstream media advertising and this is new territory for the company; but it's foundation is no stranger to advertising.