Just as we would on Twitter, we can describe the events of this past weekend in Soweto, South Africa’s Freedom Square in small talk of 140 characters or fewer:
Amway launched products in miniature sachets - cleaner, two laundry products and Dish Drops. Why? To meet the needs of this marketplace.
Want more information? Follow @AmwaySA and @TalkingAmway on Twitter for quick updates on all of Amway South Africa’s endeavors.
It may be small talk, but it’s a big deal to us and our business in South Africa.
The list is comprised of companies with the highest quality human resources initiatives in categories such as employee communication, community initiatives, compensation and benefits, diversity, employee development, retention and commitment to work-life balance.
On Thursday, May 6, winners in individual categories will be announced. We’ll be there, and it will be an honor to stand alongside 100 other companies that inspire, reward, challenge and strengthen West Michigan’s workforce.
It’s a long way from Kiev to Ada, Michigan. But once Ukranian journalists got here for a press visit and the conversation about the global economy got going, distance didn’t seem to matter.
Following their August visit, Delo, a daily business newspaper, printed an interview with Doug DeVos on how distributors have – and always will – remain central to our business. Monthly magazine Tvoye Zdorovye, translated as “Your Health,” talked with Doug as part of a larger story on business ethics, noting that we were environmentally-focused before it became a “fashionable marketing term.” And finally, in an S Toboy article on American women’s beauty secrets, our Artistry and Nutrilite brands were mentioned.
We’ve got great stories to tell. Our press visits are just one way we do it.
If you want to give someone a head start in learning anything, you start them young.
That’s the thinking behind offering local high school students a world-class business school experience through a new partnership between Amway and the Grand Rapids Public Schools. This week, we announced our support of a new high school curriculum choice at Ottawa Hills High School focusing on business, leadership and entrepreneurship. Students will learn management, finance, and other business skills through a focused curriculum, internships, lecture series, and real world experience.
Some of that experience will come from Amway volunteers who share their expertise with students. They include Amway’s chief marketing officer, Candace Matthews, who announced the program to students earlier this week.
This is one of four public-private partnerships that pair business leaders with Grand Rapids high schools called “Centers of Innovation.” And it caps 20 years of support for the Grand Rapids Public Schools by Amway and its employees.
More importantly, it’s a head start in business that’ll give these students a leg up as future employees, managers, and in some cases, CEOs.
Amway does. So much so that starting today we’re sponsoring Orlando Magic training camps and player practice jerseys. It’s the the first season in which the National Basketball Association has granted permission to have a sponsorship presence on team practice jerseys, and we’re stepping up to the line.
We’ve also stepped up our presence in Orlando. As announced earlier this year, Amway acquired the naming rights to the new Amway Center, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010. In addition to being the home court for the Orlando Magic, Amway Center will play host to an array of national events, concerts and family shows.
Our chief marketing officer Candace Matthews calls this a unique opportunity to build pride in the Amway business around the world. “Both Amway and the Magic have fans around the world, and in both organizations, we are committed to the hard work it takes to succeed.”
The Amway-tagged jerseys will be worn during Magic training camps, regular-season practices, post-season practices and pre-game shoot-arounds.
Between the jerseys, training camps, and Amway Center opening next year, Amway’s going to be hard to miss in Orlando.
What do 88 percent of Americans have in common? They aren’t eating enough foods that are blue and purple. And that’s a shame, because blackberries, blueberries, grapes and plums do some pretty amazing things in the body.
Today, our Nutrilite brand released America’s Phytonutrient Report, the first major analysis of fruit and vegetable consumption by color. So whether it’s yellow/orange, green, or the blues that your diet might be missing, you can find out what it all means here.
Along with the report, Nutrilite unveiled the Phytonutrient Spectrum to make the colors, health benefits, and fruits and vegetables associated with key nutrients easy to follow and understand. All of this was showcased at a New York farmer’s market that offered free fruits and vegetables as well as bushels of advice on eating more colorfully and better.
Check out the full online press kit to learn more, and follow The Coloring Book blog for continued tips on how to close those dietary gaps.
When we heard about the earthquakes that have devastated regions in Indonesia, our first step was to reach out to our Amway Indonesia colleagues to determine the impact of the quakes on staff and business owners.
Our next move was to determine how we could help. As part of our Disaster Response Plan, we’ve worked with Amway Indonesia since the quakes to determine how we can support relief and rebuilding efforts, as well as take care of the business concerns of our business owners in that market.
Amway’s One by One Blog details the efforts underway in Indonesia, including the early response efforts spearheaded by Amway Indonesia employees.
As a global company operating in more than 80 countries and territories, our responsibilities extend far beyond our west Michigan headquarters to the hundreds of cities and communities in which we operate around the world.
When it comes to getting connected, Amway Australia/New Zealand has the hook up.
Amway has teamed up with one of the world’s largest mobile phone companies, Vodafone, to provide service to New Zealand Independent Business Owners. Vodafone will better equip Amway business owners when connecting to their customers.
And the company’s got some high profile connections as well. A recent advertorial in The Australian linked the company to sprint star Libby Trickett and cricket player Adam Gilchrist and connected Aussies to the company, products, and business opportunity.
Our Australian PR mate Kevin Lowe began blogging earlier this year to share a down under perspective on Amway’s 50th anniversary events in the U.S. Now Kev is at it again, blogging about Amway Australia/New Zealand’s Achievers event in Tokyo. That’ll keep all of us connected with what’s going on at the business recognition event.
Connecting with customers and business owners is what we’re all about - down under or wherever we operate.
Jump, a magazine for growing families in the UK, featured an ad targeting moms for the Amway Business Opportunity in its summer issue (on page 41, to be exact).
Touting the “flexibility to suit you and your young family” as a primary benefit of joining Amway, it’s just one way affiliates are hyper-targeting to grow our distributor base.
In the U.S., readers of the Entrepreneur section of Forbes.com are greeted with stories of Inspirational Entrepreneurs courtesy of Amway Global. Print and television ads promoting the business opportunity have also ran in the likes of USA Today, Newsweek, and Business Week Online and on television during major sporting tournaments and other “achievement” programming.
And that’s just the beginning.
We’ve tapped top creative talent to implement advertising strategy in China, where Olympians, a famous fashion designer, and a renowned ballerina are featured in ARTISTRY and NUTRILITE campaigns. Top creative agencies in Japan, Korea, and Malaysia are also working on our behalf.
It all “ads” up to some pretty impressive creative muscles being flexed for Amway.
What do 88 percent of Americans have in common? They aren’t eating enough foods that are blue and purple. And that’s a shame, because blackberries, blueberries, grapes and plums do some 
