Attendees joined the Direct Selling Self-Industry Regulatory Council for a warm welcome to the 2023 Direct Selling Summit!

Health-related claims remain a priority for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Participants on this panel discussed the FTC’s Health Products Compliance Guidance, updating and replacing its longstanding Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide for Industry. The Panel also discussed important changes in this guidance that apply to any company making health-related claims in advertising as well as what DSSRC and regulatory agencies are looking for when monitoring the marketplace for compliance.  

Patrick Hanlon, CEO and Founder of Primal Branding Co. and leading branding expert, covered personal development and mindset, compliance and ethics, and sales and marketing strategies of the digital age. Hanlon further discussed his seven elements of primal branding and gave insight into how a company can bolster its brand. 

Before you or your salesforce members take the stage at a live event, representing your direct selling brand, it is important to understand the potential legal and reputational risks and consequences of non-compliant claims and misrepresentations. This panel explored best practices for ensuring that claims made at live events are truthful, accurate, and compliant with industry regulations and guidelines, and discussed strategies for training and educating direct selling companies and independent salesforce members on how to communicate claims and representations in a compliant manner while also discussing approaches on how to avoid problematic express and implied product and earnings claims.

Keynote Speaker, Mark J. Krueger, Chief Deputy Attorney General, Nevada Office of the Attorney General, gave his keynote presentation along with two members of his staff Samantha Feeley, Deputy Attorney General, Nevada Office of the Attorney General and Anthony Walsh, Senior Deputy Attorney General, Nevada Office of the Attorney General. The three speakers went over Nevada's efforts to protect consumers and the various programs put in place to do this. 

Last month, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in U.S. v. Noland, found that Success by Health was an illegal pyramid scheme based on its inability to reliably prove retail sales, among other reasons. Meanwhile, the industry awaits the decision in  FTC v. Neora, which involves pyramiding allegations as well as allegations of  unsupported earnings and product performance claims. This Panel discussed what Noland means to the industry, what we might expect in Neora, and what it all means for the future of the direct selling.

Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council team closed out the conference by thanking attendees for joining.