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Rippln the ultimate pyramid scheme that people want?

tr1age

tr1age

Administrator
Staff member
What does Facebook, Twitter, and Angry birds all have to do with Rippln? Nothing. But Rippln would have you believing otherwise. Watch this video:

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While you might think this is an "exclusive invite" such as Facebook did with their college Harvard students only, this video is an unlisted, not private, video on YouTube. Everyone has access to it.

While it boasts itself as being a "Game" the only game is the hubbub it is spitting about you looking great and not needing to lose a few pounds, then pounding a beer and you subsequently. But as long as you see the Angry Bird logo, IT MUST be a game right?

This app is by far one of the most successful marketing campaigns for "Affiliates and Sponsors" I have ever seen. What company wouldn't want to get in on the long reach of "The Ripple" effect, especially with the hype built behind it.

No, Tristan! This is an app where I can sit at home and click on shit and make millions! I saw the money bag images! No Jimmy, this is an app for A: The developers to make a shit ton in investment capital or eventually sell their user base to the highest bidder, and B: a way for affiliates and big name brands to capitalize on your social network. You know the Social Network you usually get up in arms about with "Privacy Concerns" and the like... yeah well you are literally welcoming AOL Spam with open arms here.

But but...

NO! This app might make you a few bucks here and there but let's think about this.

Time invested versus money earned.​

Ahhh the old proverb of the 20th century. Time is money friend, and this thing from the looks of it will be very similar to the Free App Programs I listed earlier this week. While I do use these and just got 3000 credits for a free ten dollar gift card for itunes. It took me over 3 weeks for 10 dollars...

Now had I just spent the 10 dollars, I would have saved many combined minutes of me installing app after app and running them for 30 seconds. Which if you add it all up probably is more time than the actual 10 dollar gift card I received.

But what did I do for the Free My App developers? I made them money for every single app I installed. They get an affiliate fee. They make a hell of a lot more than a 10 dollar free itunes gift card every three weeks.

I am the affiliate pyramid scheme master, netting free iPods and the like in my day, but I never had a job at the time netting me free college kid time or better known these days as housewife syndrome where you sit at home on an iPad pretending to understand the Internet. (<-- watch the child come in, listen to the woman, and then go to the beginning of the video. Case in point) There is a sucker born every minute. And unfortunately in this day and age the people who capitalize on that idea have a much further reach due to connectivity. This woman is fighting for and arguing for something that no one, not even her, understands or knows how it will work/pan out.

Does anyone else get this feeling:

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CEO Brian Underwood’s involvement in various MLM schemes of dubious reputation and legal status certainly don’t inspire any confidence on the subject. Nor do Rippln themselves when they constantly refer to their MLM opportunity as a “game” which affiliates “play” in their official marketing material.
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While this probably isn't that bad, it stinks. They are going to give 20$ to people in the beginning of this hype train for invites etc. They are going to throw you in the middle of a casino and give you a free bucket of chips and your credit card. They are going to say, HAVE FUN and lock the doors. So either you go up to your hotel room after you are done using their chips or you start dishing out your own.​
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Shit just using the app is going to make them bank.​
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But hey in today's economic downturn and the 99% sentimentality to richness and fame, why wouldn't everyone hop on board the easy money train.​
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Anyway here is what others are saying as well, you be the judge:​


Joel Comm, one of the leading internet Marketing Experts in the world today wrote the following article…

Rippln – Genius Mobile App or Fizzln Network Marketing?

I receive solicitations for various joint ventures, affiliate partnerships and network marketing opportunities on a weekly basis. I was recently approached by several people who wanted to share the “next big thing” with me.
This time, with all the hype that could be mustered, I was introduced to Rippln, a new mobile app that promises to change the app world forever.

If you haven’t heard about Rippln yet, I assure you that you soon will.

I’ve had an opportunity to evaluate the opportunity and I want to share my initial reaction with you.
There’s no doubt that mobile is the future. With hundreds of millions of smartphones on the market, we have all become accustomed to checking email, surfing the web, texting, video-chatting, playing games and buying all variety of applications for our mobile devices.

It was just a matter of time before someone would devise a plan to infiltrate the app marketing by providing an incentive for people to download and use an application. The incentive? Money, of course.
The premise is that when we find an app we like, we share it with friends and family members without any compensation. Rippln believes we should be compensated for our referrals. (Read the full article by clicking here…)
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Seems simple enough. But when I watched the compensation plan video, my eyes glazed over just a few minutes in. It may be that it was late at night, but I found myself having flashbacks to network marketing companies.

This is my understanding from my first look at the plan. I may not have it all correct.

The first goal is to become a "fan". This happens when you sign up for free after being invited. Since I am signed up, I have the power to send you an invitation. You can read more about this below.

rippln1.jpg


Once you invite five other people who become fans and use the app, you become a "player". You can become a domestic player and a global player. When you have five people using the app, you get a $20 one-time bonus. Not bad for just telling a few friends to download and install an app.

rippln4.jpg


There are then various bonuses for different signups, and so forth. (This is where I started glazing over...)

rippln5.jpg


Ok, great. So I tell people about the app and I make money when they download and use it. I still don't know what the app actually does, but undoubtedly a LOT of people will download it to try it out. Smart move IF the app actually delivers on value.

The compensation plan becomes more complicated as your downline recruits others to use the app. Rippln compounds the confusion with commissions and/or bonuses from advertising revenue, in-app purchases and other ways of monetization. I'm not saying any of this is bad. I'm saying that I found it confusing.

rippln2.jpg


Toss the "inner circle" label in there and who doesn't want to be included?

rippln3.jpg
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Now let’s take a look at what one critical expert has to say about the Rippln Mobile Income Opportunity.
I've seen Rippln being marketed as a mobile app social network, which I’m assuming is based on Rippln affiliates being able to communicate with each other via the app.

Social networks and MLM are nothing new and as usual Rippln marketing material focuses heavily on Facebook, Twitter, Angry Birds and other successful internet properties, asking the question “why aren't users paid to promote them?”

The key ingredient with each internet property mentioned however is the idea behind it. A key ingredient Rippln is missing.

Facebook, Twitter et al. were all heavily promoted and shared by users because of the idea and service they provided. Rippln ditch the ideas that made all of those companies successful and simply seek to pay people to promote Rippln itself.

Let’s face it, in the year 2013 a social app that displays advertising and affiliate deals is hardly something to write home about.

Without an idea or service however, all that’s left is affiliates promoting the opportunity itself. And naturally, the Rippln compensation plan leads into that.

Recruit free affiliates and earn commissions and become a “Player”. Then, somehow become either a Global or Domestic affiliate.

Recruit enough free affiliates who then also opt to upgrade or qualify as Global or Domestic affiliates and this “core strategy”, Rippln tell you in their marketing videos, is all that’s required to be a successful with the company.
The key piece of information left out of the puzzle is exactly what it costs or what is required to become a Domestic or Global affiliate.

Looking at the $80 and $240 commissions paid out, along with matching bonuses I’m going to guess there’s a monthly or one-time fee involved.

The fact that Rippln do not disclose this key information is a serious red flag that should not be ignored.
Most likely the reason this key information isn’t disclosed is that Rippln are attempting to run a “stealth” viral campaign to attract as many people to the opportunity as possible. They’ve apparently even gone so far as to have everyone in the Rippln “inner-circle” sign an NDA.

At the time of publication of this review, Rippln has threatened to terminate any affiliate caught discussing or promoting Rippln using the information from their inner-circle (specifics about the compensation plan, including Domestic and Global affiliate qualification), until CEO Brian Underwood gives the go-ahead.

One can only assume given the lengths Rippln have gone to keep this information under wraps, that it isn’t going to be all that attractive to the end-user.

Best case scenario I imagine that if affiliates have to buy Domestic or Global affiliate status you’d be looking at something just over $80 for Domestic and around $250 for Global (I can’t see it being much higher than that).
If it’s a qualification process then expect to have to recruit a boat load of Player affiliates (free affiliates who have recruited at least 5 new free affiliates).

That $240 and $80 Coaching Bonus has to come from somewhere and it’s not via use of the Rippln app.
Naturally requiring affiliates to buy into the compensation plan would be a red flag as Rippln’s app could simply be ignored, leaving affiliates generating commissions solely on the recruitment of new affiliates.

That said, even if they didn’t have to pay a fee of some sort, with the app being given away for free and Rippln themselves seeming to offer nothing at a retail level (giving something away is not retail), there’s still a question mark over the legitimacy of the program, at least from an MLM business opportunity standpoint.

CEO Brian Underwood’s involvement in various MLM schemes of dubious reputation and legal status certainly don’t inspire any confidence on the subject. Nor do Rippln themselves when they constantly refer to their MLM opportunity as a “game” which affiliates “play” in their official marketing material.

At the end of the day this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a social concept paired with MLM and to date every single one of them has failed to gain any traction. The last social network MLM that went high-profile (and also pulled a silly viral pre-launch campaign) was Wazzub.
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Now I dunno about you but I smell bullshit. Even Raz found a loophole already, inviting himself via different emails. He can game the system.

Meh, if you want to see what it is all about feel free to ask me for an invite code or any of the other bazillion"Exclusive" members. I guarantee you WILL be disappointed.
 
I just wanna know what the hell RippLn will actually be, or do, or whatever. Because I got no goddamn clue right now, and I'm in! Pretty sure the NDA's just to build hype, because I couldn't break it if I wanted to. I'm expecting/hoping this thing goes crazy viral, and then when it's launched it turns out to be utter balls or an actual honest to god pyramid scheme and I can enjoy the internet shitstorm that ensues. Anyway, as long as they need nothing more than an e-mail I'll wait and see. I've got plenty of those anyway.
 
It is a viral marketing app for Affiliates and Sponsors. You will share your favorite games, restaurants, stores, etc. In turn your friends will share with theirs, and it will trickle the "sponsored" money to the original sharer if they pay for a sub or fee. And those in between will make pennies for a lot of effort. It is free marketing for advertisers at the expense of others stupidity and pipe dreams of riches. It will make sponsors and the creators a lot of money. It is an age old technique tried and tried again. It will pick up speed and probably cause someone big company to buy it out.

What it wants you think it is, but is not:
  • A Gamification of Advertisement.
  • Your chance for big bucks
  • The next facebook
  • Amazing
  • Not a pyramid scheme dressed up as a game
  • Exclusive
 
What do you mean "Really?", of course really. I had a barrel of laughs when SimCity was released and subsequently failed spectacularly. Internet shitstorms are amazing. And I'd like to believe something like you described would fail, but seeing as people still fall for the Nigerian Prince I'm guessing they'll fall head over heels for this and won't be able to whip out their creditcards fast enough. So thanks, Tristan, thanks for chipping away at what little is left of my faith in humanity.

:(
 
The only thing that intrigues me about this is (correct me if I'm wrong), the ability to get in touch with a lot of other people at the same time with ease.

Let's say that there is an artist for example: The artist is really talented and uses Rippln to share his/her creations. The people like it and the artist starts getting popular, if lucky then there's a talent scout who sees it and contacts the artist.

If this is a use for the "app" then I'd like when I'd say I don't like it. I mean if I were to make music, I'd have a pretty hard time sharing it but this would make it many times easier.
If I had a video on youtube I probably wouldn't be able to get a hundred thousand views, sharing it trough this would make it many times easier. As some of you know starting of on Youtube is pretty hard but when you get viewers who keep returning more an more people will soon come (check out Pewdiepie, this happened to him). But ofcourse you have to bring out quality material.

Atleast this is what I understood from one of the videos they had.
 
Tristan's just sour because he knows we'll all be stinkin' rich soon.
First thing I'll do is buy alttabme.com and reinstall the My Little Pony theme.
 
Razulian said:
The only thing that intrigues me about this is (correct me if I'm wrong), the ability to get in touch with a lot of other people at the same time with ease.

Let's say that there is an artist for example: The artist is really talented and uses Rippln to share his/her creations. The people like it and the artist starts getting popular, if lucky then there's a talent scout who sees it and contacts the artist.

If this is a use for the "app" then I'd like when I'd say I don't like it. I mean if I were to make music, I'd have a pretty hard time sharing it but this would make it many times easier.
If I had a video on youtube I probably wouldn't be able to get a hundred thousand views, sharing it trough this would make it many times easier. As some of you know starting of on Youtube is pretty hard but when you get viewers who keep returning more an more people will soon come (check out Pewdiepie, this happened to him). But ofcourse you have to bring out quality material.

Atleast this is what I understood from one of the videos they had.
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This app is for promoting other paid products. As well YouTube and Facebook do exactly what you would like to see done already. If the content is good, one person tells another then tells another. That is what Viral is. You cannot force Viral on something. Any company who aims to "become viral" is doing it wrong. The idea of a viral sensation is just that... a sensation.

The ripple effect is not going to be enhanced by this architecture in this app.

Look at it in gaming terms, WoW was a phenomenon, WoW clones were not. They reached a much larger audience because of WoW but it didn't make them a success.

Quality always begets quantity. Unless the quantity is being provided via "quality" sources, like the news or popular social mediums.[DOUBLEPOST=1366670942,1366670912][/DOUBLEPOST]
Jia said:
Tristan's just sour because he knows we'll all be stinkin' rich soon.
First thing I'll do is buy alttabme.com and reinstall the My Little Pony theme.
Click to expand...

Oh god yes please.
 
I got a key. The second I started to try to sell it, I felt like a sucker myself. Instantly I had to pull any "advertising" I did to get others my beta key invites. It feels dirty. It feels wrong. I'm selling my word and my name in order to further benefit someone elses company while I just get a few pennies. I'm not working for partial pennies on my free time to make others dollars for no effort. I do that enough during my working hours, I don't want to do it in my off time.
 
Well thanks for clearing that up Tristan.
This just proves that Rippln is just not worth it, even though if I have to be honest I fell for it myself in the beginning but reading more about it... well roughly said it's just sh*t.
 
This is classic multilevel marketing.

Yes, if you get in quick and are good at selling crap to suckers, you can make some money off the poor fools who come after you. But seriously, get a real job.

Anytime you are selling memberships to something that has no way of generating income other than memberships, you are in a pyramid scheme. The thing about pyramids, only a few can actually make money, the rest are all payers. If everybody won, the whole thing collapses. Find an opportunity that doesn't require 100 people to fail so that one person can make a buck.
 
Keleynal said:
Find an opportunity that doesn't require 100 people to fail so that one person can make a buck.
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Not that I disagree with your post, but our society (and its opportunities) is just one big pyramid scheme. Just as obvious, and no less disgusting.
 
Jia said:
Not that I disagree with your post, but our society (and its opportunities) is just one big pyramid scheme. Just as obvious, and no less disgusting.
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Ill have to disagree with you on that point.

Capitalism provides many opportunities that are honest and noble. Consider, for comparison to this opportunity, an Internet startup that is recruiting distributors. However, instead of selling nothing but a membership, they sell widgets. Widgets are useful to many people and since the startup offers widgets at a competive price and with the convenience of ordering via Internet, they expect a large amount of widget sales. So they are offering contracts for local widget dealers to promote the widgets and perhaps recruit more widget dealers. Compensation will be based on total widgets sold.

On the surface, to two opportunities are almost identical, but the key difference is the widget. One company is aptly offering a tangible item or service that can be marketed. That men's that every widget distributed can succeed provided that they are all able to arket the widgets. The small fish at the bottom do not need to die in order to maintain the income of the larger fish. And if widgets fully saturate the market and no more widget distributors are recruited, the company willer main profitable and solvent as long as people need widgets. In the above MLM scheme, as soon as people catch on and stop being duped into the low levels where they have a 90%+ failure rate, the whole company would collapse, since the only users are prospective distributors ( no one would switch to this from FB unless they were in it for the money) there would be no one left to advertise to. The top fish would swim away with a fortune and the small fry left holding the bag, having wasted valuable time and money.

Please do not lump our many noble widget makers into the same category as the get rich quick MLM scum.[DOUBLEPOST=1367878298,1367878187][/DOUBLEPOST]Please excuse the typing errors above. iPad is not good for extended posts.
 
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