Just shop at Winners like the rest of us

Last week, my mother Facebooked me (that deserves a hot topic blog post of it's own) from NYC to ask: "Hypothetically, if you were to receive a bag, which would you prefer? Chanel, Prada, Louis, or Kate Spade?" My initial reaction was to jump for joy, and I thought "finally, my mom got cool AND perhaps rich!" But then common sense kicked in, and I realized that my mother was neither of those things, and sadly, never will be. So I came to the conclusion that she meant a FAKE!

I responded politely with: "No need to purchase one, those are sold on the black market and support terrorism, and that's just not my bag (awful pun intended) But thanks Mom :) !" While I wasn't too sure about this dramatic statement, it got me thinking: Are we hurting more than the (super rich) designers when we purchase counterfeit designer goods?

Women tend to think when they buy fake designer bags that it is a victimless crime. Well there's a few. I think we're all familiar with sweatshops? There's a few victims there.

To buy these counterfeit items is not a crime, but to be the shady guy selling them from your trunk in a dark alley? That is.

Fakes have come a long way. In some cases, it is near impossible to tell the difference between a really good fake and the real thing. Further prompting women to buy the phonies.

These purses are all bought and sold on the black market. The crime ring involved get the purses manufactured at base price, and sells them for around $40-$150. Peanuts compared to the price it costs for the real thing. It's a lucrative market that they tapped into, as hoards of women want the status that goes along with designer bags, without paying designer prices.

Even more frightening than supporting big city thugs, is the evidence developed by the FBI's joint terrorism task force that the sale of counterfeit goods financed the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The U.S. Customs Service continues to warn that counterfeit designer bags may finance terror.

So what do you think? While you may be the only one that knows you're sporting a fake, is it worth the heavy conscience that will ensue knowing you helped finance terrorism?

The beginning of drafting my personal brand

My personal brand is related to my two passions: fashion and art. Check it out, and feel free to provide me with feedback!

Check out my awesome personal brand slides!

Radian6 - a Brand Managers Dream

With literally zillions of social media applications out there (okay, well maybe not literally, considering 'zillions' isn't even a word) do you ever wonder which is the master of them all? Radian6 is the big brother of the social media world- it is a social media monitoring program for marketing, communications and customer support professionals.

Think when you blog about how your new high top sneakers are the raddest, that the Nike execs will never see it? Or how about when you tweet about how your new Dell laptop is the biggest disappointment ever, and you are seconds away from chucking it out the window? Even when you put your two cents on a Facebook group titled "I Heart Marc Jacobs" these companies can all potentially see how you feel with the help of Radian6.

This innovative application was founded in Fredericton, New Brunswick by Chris Newton. It now spans globally and helps hundreds of majour corporations monitor their brand. It is also backed by some solid investors. Check out a list of some of the top companies using Radian6, as well as some case studies.

Radian6 is a business to business social media application. It requires a monthly subscription, but is well worth the companies dollars, because it tells you exactly where you stand with consumers, therefore giving you a higher return. Communications and marketing professionals within corporations subscribe to Radian6, and in turn Radian6 provides them with all the dirt on where their brand is currently positioned on the web. With the use of various widgets within the site you can also compare your brand to your top competitor.
Examples of Radian6 widgets (clockwise from left): How many online posts are about you? Includes what they said about you, and what platform they used; Then there's the "Conversation Cloud," similar to wordle.net, which essentially is a key word builder with your brand; Next is the "Topic Analysis", which is a pie chart comparing what percentage of people are talking about you versus a competitor; My personal favourite is the "Influencer" widget. It shows who is talking about you the most. This gives companies an opportunity to sell ads in the most effective space; The last widget shown on the dashboard example is the "Topic Trends" widget. This one shows on a time line when there is a spike in conversations about your brand.

As their company overview states: "The impact of social media on public relations and advertising is fundamentally changing the profession. Brand ownership is no longer solely the domain of the institution. A brand is now defined as the sum of all conversations taking place amongst users and it's happening regardless of whether you are part of these conversations or not."

Radian6 is a very useful tool for research and development and brand managing. It helps you get the right information pertaining to your image, and helps you strengthen it, and ensure that you continue to get talked about. Make sure to view the top ten reasons to explore Radian6.

Also, if you're like me and this new-fangled concept of social media confuses you, be sure to check out their extensive views on Social Media.