Bronwyn Rideout - 28 March 2022 - Approx. 7 min read
What do Avon, Tupperware, Doterra, and Arbonne have in common? They are all businesses in New Zealand that utilise multi-level marketing (MLM) strategies. If you aren't familiar with the names or the products, ranging from hair care and makeup to herbal supplements, you might at least have come across the sales and recruitment gimmicks they employ. Maybe your Mom was a frequent invitee or hostess for a friend's sex toy party (Pure Romance) or cooking utensil business (Pampered Chef); maybe your favourite Uncle loved to talk about the conventions and seminars he was attending (Amway). Regardless, the fact remains that they are a controversial marketing model that exploits millions of people worldwide with promises of financial freedom that are only available to those who are placed at the tippy top of the MLMs' pyramid-like structures.
Bronwyn Rideout - 4 April 2022 - Approx. 7 min read
Bronwyn Rideout - 18 April 2022 - Approx. 10 min read
Trigger warnings: Mentions of Suicide and infant death
Bronwyn Rideout - 25 April 2022 - Approx. 7 min read
Country of Origin: Pleasant Grove, Utah, United States
Bronwyn Rideout - 2 May 2022 - Approx. 7 min read
Country of Origin: Orem, Utah, United States
Bronwyn Rideout - 9 May 2022 - Approx. 11 min read
Country of Origin: Michigan, United States
Bronwyn Rideout - 23 May 2022 - Approx. 11 min read
Country of Origin: Gilbert, Arizona, United States
Bronwyn Rideout - 7 June 2022 - Approx. 10 min read
Founded by: Bjørn Nicolaisen
Bronwyn Rideout - 13 June 2022 - Approx. 6 min read
Country of Origin: Doral, Florida, United States
Bronwyn Rideout - 27 September 2022 - Approx. 6 min read
In October 2021 Monat launched in Australia, to much internal fanfare and not much else. Engagement on their facebook page is meagre, and their Instagram is only marginally better. One of the incentives offered to potential distributors (or market partners, in Monat parlance), if they registered early, was a chance to earn shares through the Asia Pacific Founders Pool. The company had been incorporated in NZ as a branch of Monat Australia, and I was curious if anything would come of it.
Bronwyn Rideout - 11 April 2023 - Approx. 12 min read
It has been a while since I wrote about an MLM properly and, in some ways, Prüvit is both the best and worst MLM to dip into. The health and wellness claims it makes are of great interest to Skeptics, but despite the social media and YouTube furor that the organisation and its distributors create, Prüvit doesn't have a Wikipedia page. It can take a bit of work to get a sense of its history.
Bronwyn Rideout - 28 August 2023 - Approx. 12 min read
Country of Origin: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States; now headquartered in Utah.
Bronwyn Rideout - 29 April 2024 - Approx. 4 min read
Despite the ribbing I get from Craig on the podcast about telling listeners to “Watch this space!”, Skeptics know that I can at least be relied upon to share any interesting updates that come my way about past articles. And boy, do I have an update for you all!
