The Marketing of the President | WBUR and NPR

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Monday, April 26, 2004 at 10:00 AM EDT

The Marketing of the President

Amway is an American success story. The company sells 450 products and is part of a multibillion dollar empire. The key to its success is its pyramid formula that is known in the business as a multilevel marketing scheme. Each independent entrepreneur who joins the sales force also becomes a recruiter, who is responsible for bringing in several new entrepreneurs underneath her or him.

In Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, contributing writer Matt Bai showed how the Amway pyramid model is being used by the Bush campaign to register voters, and keep President Bush in the White House. It is a story of relentless enthusiasm and pressure on volunteers as they scramble to meet their numbers and make their goals.

Click the “Listen” link to hear whether what works in business can work in politics, and why the Bush campaign is betting on it.

Guests:

Matt Bai, contributing writer The New York Times magazine, covering the election for the magazine, his piece “The Multilevel Marketing of the President” was the cover story in Sunday’s magazine

Herb Asher, professor of political science at The Ohio State University

Todd Hanks, campaign chairman for Delaware County Bush-Cheney 2004

Greg Haas, Democratic strategist in Ohio, ran Clinton’s 1992 campaign in Ohio

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