STRAY THOUGHTS: The Amway & Modicare Way of Oriya Lives
The other day a gentleman came calling on me at my residence in Bhubaneswar. I was a bit surprised. He, a bank officer, was an old student in my computer training institute long back. My interaction with him was not very much even during his studentship, not to mention of the period after that. After some initial introductory gestures, he started finding out how I was doing and suggested me I must be a member of Amway, the greatest networking giant in the world. The reason – it gives me an income opportunity, the products are very good (though prices are exorbitantly high to fit any common man’s consumer good set), and opens up numerous possibilities to create a lot of friends.
For the first proposition, all that I have to do is to market Amway’s products starting from face creams to nutritive foods to medicines. I can do the marketing myself, induce more people to join under me to do the marketing, they in turn induce many more under their fold to market the products and so on – each time you or anybody under you, market an Amway product, you get a bonus point. A certain bonus point gives you cash incentives. ‘Hmmm……. good business’, I thought. He gave me many examples of people who have been successful (successfool!!!) Amwayians. A doctor who is almost thinking of quitting his job as he has developed such a large network of Amwayians under him that he is earning nearly Rs.7/8 lakhs per annum only from Amway. Fortunately, he is working in a Government hospital and he does not have to regularly attend the hospital, so he is able to manage both. “Wao, lucky fellow”, I murmured to myself.
Second, the products are very good, though slightly high priced. I asked, ‘Slightly …?’ He clarified, ‘Yea, for example you have to pay around Rs. 2000 for a face cream. But it gives extremely good results.... shows results within a short period of time.’ I wondered, in the market creams are available for anything from Rs. 10 onwards and a face cream for Rs.2000!!!! I asked, “Are people buying?”(just asked to myself, in a state where 47% are below poverty line?!!). He gave me the example of number of people who are getting attracted to this trade, members range from engineers, bank officers, doctors, house wives, to youth including the (migrated) rural youth. And all of them are trying to market the products of an American Company who did not believe in spending heavy amount in advertising but directly reaching the consumers through network marketing beyond America.
The third hypothesis, it’s a great tool to foster human relationship – or so the company believes. You get to meet and contact so many people and revive many old relationships – like the bank officer was trying to do with me. I also remembered another friend of my husband who was not in touch with him for a good 10/12 years, called up once and visited our house regularly for quite sometime to find out if we were interested to be a member of Modicare – another company with a similar vision and mission like that of Amway. Well, I wondered what a way of fostering human relationship – everybody at least makes sure to meet once in a week or month and thinking of improving ones own economic good and in turn that of the promoters (manifold). And with ever increasing number of nuclear families, double income spouses and less instances of people visiting to even neighbour’s houses, not to talk of relatives’ places – certainly a noble way of fostering human relationship. Hats off to promoters of Amway, Modicare, Tupperware, Avon and a host lot of such direct marketing chains who have been successful in making people rise to the occasion – to the occasion of consuming and promoting foreign goods in spite of the high price tags, coming to one platform for a common cause of promoting the interests of such companies and at last doing some hard work (even if it’s selling). Oriyas had the bad reputation of doing govt. jobs, eating pakhal bhat (watered rice) and sleeping. Now, they are also doing something in addition to govt. jobs and pakhal bhat!!!! And look at the timeliness in attending weekly/monthly business meetings, and efforts to be smart guys wearing black & white uniforms with black ties even in the hot summer – trying to sell oneself along with the product!!!
Recent reports of China’s banning of companies doing direct marketing including Amway, and legal suits against Amway in countries like Canada and the UK notwithstanding, idea of Amway had caught up my fancy. But in place of Amway products I was thinking of a host lot of products of which Orissa is the proud owner –Pipili chandua, filigree works, pattachitra, stone carving, and Sambalpuri & Sonepuri handloom and so on. Instances and evidence of the plight of rural artisans are all around. Few days back there was news about lack of marketing support to Pipili artisans. Handloom sector in Orissa is dying – reason being high price of the products besides lack of market support. Many other traditional trades like filigree work, pattachitra, stone carving, handloom sectors in Sambalpur, Sonepur, Tirtol, etc. are sick and struggling to survive because of lack of market support and credit facilities. Can the network marketing or chain marketing come to the rescue of these artisans and weavers? I know no Government is doing the marketing for Amway or Modicare. It’s we, the civil society who has come together to promote the cause. Good, at least we are in the right spirit. Can we emulate the same spirit for our hapless traditional businesses, which has already great deal of fan following world over even with all lacunae and holes in the business strategy? Our craft and handloom products are well known in the world from ages, from the time when the Oriya traders (Sadhabas) were trading these products across the globe. Amway, on the other hand, did not have an existing customer base to boast of from its inception and there, our products score higher. Moreover, the quality and craftsmanship of our products is very high and original. We already have such a wide product range e.g. Sambalpuri curtains, drapes, bed sheets, dress materials which are of such high quality and good design. To give it a bit more contemporary look, just a little bit of innovation by introducing new designs and varieties – how about silk Sonepuri ties, handloom silk/cotton shirts, skirts & lehengas, kurtis, tops, and stoles doing the rounds of the world? How about a promoter taking up the cause to ensue a chain marketing, where everybody involved in the production to marketing to promoting gets the benefit? Prices should not be a problem. If I can buy a face cream for Rs.2000 (the high price might be due to high labour cost in the USA), I can very well pay the same or higher price to adorn myself beautifully or adorn my drawing room in an ethnic way with the Orissan products. Given the cheap labour cost here, I know I get the value for my money by paying for a better quality product. In the process, I contribute to the cause of my society, my state and all the people who are forced under the poverty line.
P.S.: This article was written in 2003 when there was a boom of network marketing companies like Amway, Modicare, Tupperware, Avon, etc. in Orissa. With a high unemployment rate and highest percentage of people below poverty line, many Oriya youth got lured by the promises of high earning by these companies. This also attracted the middle – income working class who wanted more disposable income in their hands in the advent of globalization and the ensuing consumerism. Even now, the main occupation of many unemployed youth in the state is their membership in such direct marketing companies. Here the membership does not give them employment or a constant monthly income. Their income mainly consists of incentives they get from the sales they make for the company.
For the first proposition, all that I have to do is to market Amway’s products starting from face creams to nutritive foods to medicines. I can do the marketing myself, induce more people to join under me to do the marketing, they in turn induce many more under their fold to market the products and so on – each time you or anybody under you, market an Amway product, you get a bonus point. A certain bonus point gives you cash incentives. ‘Hmmm……. good business’, I thought. He gave me many examples of people who have been successful (successfool!!!) Amwayians. A doctor who is almost thinking of quitting his job as he has developed such a large network of Amwayians under him that he is earning nearly Rs.7/8 lakhs per annum only from Amway. Fortunately, he is working in a Government hospital and he does not have to regularly attend the hospital, so he is able to manage both. “Wao, lucky fellow”, I murmured to myself.
Second, the products are very good, though slightly high priced. I asked, ‘Slightly …?’ He clarified, ‘Yea, for example you have to pay around Rs. 2000 for a face cream. But it gives extremely good results.... shows results within a short period of time.’ I wondered, in the market creams are available for anything from Rs. 10 onwards and a face cream for Rs.2000!!!! I asked, “Are people buying?”(just asked to myself, in a state where 47% are below poverty line?!!). He gave me the example of number of people who are getting attracted to this trade, members range from engineers, bank officers, doctors, house wives, to youth including the (migrated) rural youth. And all of them are trying to market the products of an American Company who did not believe in spending heavy amount in advertising but directly reaching the consumers through network marketing beyond America.
The third hypothesis, it’s a great tool to foster human relationship – or so the company believes. You get to meet and contact so many people and revive many old relationships – like the bank officer was trying to do with me. I also remembered another friend of my husband who was not in touch with him for a good 10/12 years, called up once and visited our house regularly for quite sometime to find out if we were interested to be a member of Modicare – another company with a similar vision and mission like that of Amway. Well, I wondered what a way of fostering human relationship – everybody at least makes sure to meet once in a week or month and thinking of improving ones own economic good and in turn that of the promoters (manifold). And with ever increasing number of nuclear families, double income spouses and less instances of people visiting to even neighbour’s houses, not to talk of relatives’ places – certainly a noble way of fostering human relationship. Hats off to promoters of Amway, Modicare, Tupperware, Avon and a host lot of such direct marketing chains who have been successful in making people rise to the occasion – to the occasion of consuming and promoting foreign goods in spite of the high price tags, coming to one platform for a common cause of promoting the interests of such companies and at last doing some hard work (even if it’s selling). Oriyas had the bad reputation of doing govt. jobs, eating pakhal bhat (watered rice) and sleeping. Now, they are also doing something in addition to govt. jobs and pakhal bhat!!!! And look at the timeliness in attending weekly/monthly business meetings, and efforts to be smart guys wearing black & white uniforms with black ties even in the hot summer – trying to sell oneself along with the product!!!
Recent reports of China’s banning of companies doing direct marketing including Amway, and legal suits against Amway in countries like Canada and the UK notwithstanding, idea of Amway had caught up my fancy. But in place of Amway products I was thinking of a host lot of products of which Orissa is the proud owner –Pipili chandua, filigree works, pattachitra, stone carving, and Sambalpuri & Sonepuri handloom and so on. Instances and evidence of the plight of rural artisans are all around. Few days back there was news about lack of marketing support to Pipili artisans. Handloom sector in Orissa is dying – reason being high price of the products besides lack of market support. Many other traditional trades like filigree work, pattachitra, stone carving, handloom sectors in Sambalpur, Sonepur, Tirtol, etc. are sick and struggling to survive because of lack of market support and credit facilities. Can the network marketing or chain marketing come to the rescue of these artisans and weavers? I know no Government is doing the marketing for Amway or Modicare. It’s we, the civil society who has come together to promote the cause. Good, at least we are in the right spirit. Can we emulate the same spirit for our hapless traditional businesses, which has already great deal of fan following world over even with all lacunae and holes in the business strategy? Our craft and handloom products are well known in the world from ages, from the time when the Oriya traders (Sadhabas) were trading these products across the globe. Amway, on the other hand, did not have an existing customer base to boast of from its inception and there, our products score higher. Moreover, the quality and craftsmanship of our products is very high and original. We already have such a wide product range e.g. Sambalpuri curtains, drapes, bed sheets, dress materials which are of such high quality and good design. To give it a bit more contemporary look, just a little bit of innovation by introducing new designs and varieties – how about silk Sonepuri ties, handloom silk/cotton shirts, skirts & lehengas, kurtis, tops, and stoles doing the rounds of the world? How about a promoter taking up the cause to ensue a chain marketing, where everybody involved in the production to marketing to promoting gets the benefit? Prices should not be a problem. If I can buy a face cream for Rs.2000 (the high price might be due to high labour cost in the USA), I can very well pay the same or higher price to adorn myself beautifully or adorn my drawing room in an ethnic way with the Orissan products. Given the cheap labour cost here, I know I get the value for my money by paying for a better quality product. In the process, I contribute to the cause of my society, my state and all the people who are forced under the poverty line.
P.S.: This article was written in 2003 when there was a boom of network marketing companies like Amway, Modicare, Tupperware, Avon, etc. in Orissa. With a high unemployment rate and highest percentage of people below poverty line, many Oriya youth got lured by the promises of high earning by these companies. This also attracted the middle – income working class who wanted more disposable income in their hands in the advent of globalization and the ensuing consumerism. Even now, the main occupation of many unemployed youth in the state is their membership in such direct marketing companies. Here the membership does not give them employment or a constant monthly income. Their income mainly consists of incentives they get from the sales they make for the company.
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