Mannatech has had a pretty rough and challenging two years both on the sale side and and lawsuits, one of which was recently settled for $11M. Then there is also Texas Attorney, General Greg Abbott who is suing the company for making exaggerated claims about its natural supplements - things like the products can clear up liver cancer, cystic fibrosis and Down syndrome. You can read all about it here — including the state’s original petition, filed in Travis County District Court in July 2007.
One of the problems stems from a lot of negative backlash given to the company by many media outlets. Even tech blog, Wired, did a whole story on the company and its flagship product, Ambrotose. This came on the heels of an expose by ABC’s news magazine show 20/20 which really went into the the whole “Sugar Pill” myth.
So now Mannatech is trying to inject some much needed positive serum into the company’s lifeline. At its global summit held last week, the company launched BounceBack (seems like a good name given what they have been through) which is “an all natural product that supports recovery after physical activity or over-exertion”.
The company also introduced the global availability of its Optimal Skin Care System and its new global sales platform which is designed to support the more than 575,000 independent associates worldwide.
If Mannatech can somehow market their products without making outlandish claims and really focus on providing something substantive to both its distributors and the people who use the products, they have a shot. It is going to take a lot to fix all the negative PR this company has been experiencing and my suggestion would be to undertake a major re-branding initiative and bring in someone from outside the industry to help.
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I wonder if reps with nutrition companies as well as their management will learn from Mannatech’s hardships.
No promises = no problems. Don’t hype the stuff. You sound like you are peddling ’snake oil’.
What worked 50 years ago for Amway will not fly today.
Comment by Tom Doiron — April 10, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
I absolutely agree with TOm. This company has got to figure out a better way to market itself and its products.
Maybe a re-branding or something which can get them away from all the negative press. Problem is that its the same people who don’t seem to have learned from previous mistakes.
Comment by David W — April 11, 2008 @ 3:39 am
[...] - a nutritional supplement company based in Coppell, Texas, has been through a bit of a rough patch this year. Over the last year or so, the company has been involved in a class action suit that has [...]
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