At some point in the last 10 years or so Multi-Level Marketing supposedly became known as Network Marketing. Funny thing is, I am not sure exactly when that occurred. I have only been really involved in NM since about 2003. I had someone involvement prior to that (Amway in the late 80’s, Herbal Life in the Mid 90’s), but wasn’t ready to take on that role at those times. Was not serious about it (yet).

Did the name change do anything? I went searching for some definitive distinction between the two and found this bizarre entry in the Work at Home Forums. It claims among other things, that:

MLM means they pay you on a multi level , the market is based on Multi level unfortunitly most of home business today are based on this illegal scam market which known as a Pyramid. Network Marketing is a group of people who currenlty enjoying a benefit of products offered by a network marketing company , they like the product alot that they like to recommend every one to use it.

However, most everyone who followed up with comments disagreed with this and said what most people think: They’re one in the same. Indeed, if you search the term “Network Marketing Wiki” it will take you to the Wikipedia page for MLM which has an “also known as” in it.

So it seems that in most people’s mind, the two terms are interchangeable. It’s not Network Marketing (formerly known as MLM), but rather it’s Network Marketing (also known as MLM). I have a feeling this is not what the parties who invented the term Network Marketing had in mind.

The recent report “Death of Network Marketing” (a great read by the way!) says that the term Network Marketing is only a band-aid meant to correct an image problem created by MLMs of the 80’s and 90’s. It also says while it worked for a few years, it doesn’t really address the underlying image problems and thus has been reduced to a mere “AKA”.

I have to admit, I prefer the term “Network Marketing” myself and use it almost exclusively when talking to people about it. Although, I do use MLM when I need to save space here on the blog (like in the Categories). Network Marketing is NOT dead as the report title implies nor is it dying. It is however, evolving.