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Susannah Schofield OBE, Director General of the UK DSA, shares how new public relations initiatives TURNED negative narratives into positive ones.
Direct selling’s reputation issues aren’t limited to the United States. Other markets feel the familiar sting of unfair scrutiny and bias, too. I recently sat down with Susannah Schofield OBE, the Director General of the UK DSA. Susannah generously shared their experiences with negative media attention and the actions they took to turn the situation around. There are lessons for every direct selling company here—tangible takeaways and fresh perspectives that are applicable to every company and market around the globe.
Could you provide some context and background on the new PR strategy that the UK DSA has implemented over the last six years, since you took over as Director General?
Things had reached a point around seven or eight years ago where negative media attention seemed to be on the rise and was at risk of drowning out the many positives of the work of the Association and its members. I joined the Direct Selling Association in early 2019, and it was clear that the situation was becoming quite damaging for some individual members who had suffered from negative media coverage. Several members had expressed concerns about the media’s treatment of their brands and were looking to the Association for help—it was an issue that transcended individual member-level work, and I was keen to assist.
Why did you decide to implement a new PR strategy?
Perhaps understandably at the time, some prominent member brands had got to a point where their experiences with the media were so problematic that they just wanted to shut the door and not engage. However, ultimately, this wasn’t helping. I knew it wasn’t the answer; it couldn’t be a long-term strategy.
Things got to the point where the potential wider implications for the entire industry were very real, and we had to act. Things had to change, and as the new Director General, I was able to bring a fresh perspective and—together with colleagues—re-think the approach. We took some time to critically assess the situation and determine a fresh strategy for the Association’s external communications and PR work.
What were the first steps in determining the new strategy?
Securing the buy-in of the Association’s Board to the change of strategy and getting their agreement to take a more confident, assertive, transparent and front-footed approach to PR was crucial.
The resources we have available to spend on PR are not unlimited, and we took the proactive decision to plow our PR resources into positive media work and campaigns rather than allow so much time to be taken up by firefighting and managing crises.
Member involvement was also key. We established a member PR Group, which included some exceptional expertise and was extremely well supported, both virtually and in-person. Creating this group was vital to building trust and sharing knowledge and experiences across the Association and its members to collaborate more effectively and move forward more positively. We also used this forum to discuss some of the common issues that many of the group were encountering, for example, around sometimes problematic terminology.
There was a recognition that, individually, there was a limit to what could be achieved. However, by working together, the potential to change the narrative could be far more impactful.
What were the central tenets to the new approach?
The key pillars of the new strategy were to:
- Build awareness and credibility of the Association and its members.
- Improve the reputation of the industry.
- Modernize perceptions of the channel.
Alongside the wider, strategic decisions, we also made some other changes which, although seemingly quite small, made a real difference. These included subtle but significant changes in language and terminology and the pivotal decision to share more data and factual information—particularly average earnings data—with media and other audiences.
Of course, this wasn’t just about communication and PR—we knew that the strategy had to be backed up with action. And as Director General, I put in place elements such as a more robust framework and set of guidance in relation to our compliance and auditing processes for members.
As a result, we did turn down some potential new members operating in cryptocurrency, but this was the right decision and supported the new approach. As an Association, it is imperative that we always protect our members, their independent sellers and all customers.
Can you give us some examples of how things have changed, day-to-day?
Almost overnight, we chose not to engage with negative media approaches. We simply did not fuel the fire. If something factually inaccurate needed correcting, we would do so. And we also issued very clear, concise statements making clear the role of the Association in maintaining standards and ethical business practices, and the fact that our members have proactively volunteered themselves to be held accountable to these higher standards compared to non-members. It was a very no-nonsense approach, and it quickly worked.
We also made less obvious but still important changes to wider communication. For example, changing certain areas of the website which had previously been quite defensive (and focused on explaining what direct selling was not!) to explaining the commitment to best practices that our members had made by joining the Association. This messaging was echoed in all communication channels.
We also undertook work to revise and refresh the Association’s messaging, producing a series of straightforward key messages which underpinned all our external communication. Crucially, all our messaging was backed by evidence with clear data and proof points. This approach has become a cornerstone of our PR work. We always strive to back up what we say with clear evidence. Much of this is taken from research that we conduct across the industry in the UK, for example, average earnings, etc.
Can you outline some of the key results of the revised approach?
We have seen a significant shift to far more positive engagement with the media, with over 300 references to the Direct Selling Association secured in UK media over the last two years alone. Throughout 2024, our media work enabled the Association to reach a total potential audience size of 765 million. And since the launch of the new strategy, we have seen positive coverage in a wide range of UK media outlets, ranging from The Sunday Times, Express, Daily Mail and Daily Mirror newspapers to leading retail titles and online business publications.
Our tone of voice aims to be measured and responsible, and we always advise people to look for the Direct Selling Association logo as an indication of best practice.
Ultimately, the success of the strategy was one of the components that led us to make the decision to rebrand the Association in 2024 to become the voice for direct-to-consumer (D2C) retail in the UK.
What were the key challenges of the new approach?
Some members were understandably nervous about such a radically different approach, particularly to opening up more and increasing transparency when they just wanted to close the door to the media, but early successes were powerful in demonstrating the effectiveness of the new strategy and fostering confidence.
Some members were constrained by what they could do as international brands which were headquartered in other countries, with centralized communications. But I think our work has shown how vital localization is in this industry—this cannot be underestimated. The UK market and consumer are very different to the American market and consumer.
What does the future look like?
Our external communications and PR are in a good place, and we have built up far more trust with the media. However, we’re not complacent. Working to raise awareness of the modernization of the industry continues to be a key focus as we celebrate the 60th year of the UK Direct Selling Association in 2025. There is still much work to do to show how things have moved on in the channel, and the opportunities that exist for a new generation of both consumers and sellers.
Product quality is another key area of focus, and member brands have an important role to play here. Many are doing a great job by entering products into prestigious awards, becoming B-Corp certified and so on.
I believe that the future holds real opportunities for the channel, particularly given key trends such as experiential retail, retail-tainment and personalization.
What would your top three key takeaways be for others looking to replicate the success of the external communications seen in the UK?
1 / Be objective about what is and isn’t working—and why—and then act on it. Getting a truly external and independent perspective is invaluable.
2 / Be measured. As a leading UK retail body, there is a certain expectation about what we say and do.
3 / Evidence, evidence, evidence! Back up what you plan to say with facts and data. Surveying independent sellers and requesting data from member companies are great places to start.
