What does Facebook, Twitter, and Angry birds all have to do with Rippln? Nothing. But Rippln would have you believing otherwise. Watch this video:
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
Shit just using the app is going to make them bank.
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.
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…)
Now let’s take a look at what one critical expert has to say about the Rippln Mobile Income Opportunity.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.
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.
There are then various bonuses for different signups, and so forth. (This is where I started glazing over...)
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.
Toss the "inner circle" label in there and who doesn't want to be included?
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.
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.