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A YouTube duo with 300-400 million monthly views told us they think 95% of their merch on the market is FAKE.
That got us to take a closer look at the world of counterfeit merch, which is way worse than you think.
That got us to take a closer look at the world of counterfeit merch, which is way worse than you think.
. @ChadWildClay + @vyqwaint have been on YouTube for 10+ years. Their kid-friendly channels get 300+ million views/month.
The first 20 fans at their last (pre-covid) meet-and-greet were wearing CWC apparel. Only 1 of 20 had merch from their official store. The rest was fake.
The first 20 fans at their last (pre-covid) meet-and-greet were wearing CWC apparel. Only 1 of 20 had merch from their official store. The rest was fake.
Chad + Vy told me they regularly get sent pics of happy kids in their branded gear–none of which is legit. They don't call it out anymore b/c they don't want the kids/parents to be feel bad.
I asked Chad to get me examples. 5 minutes later he sent dozens he JUST found.
I asked Chad to get me examples. 5 minutes later he sent dozens he JUST found.
But counterfeiters don't just go after kids' creators w/100s of millions of views.
@eddyburback makes comedy + commentary videos. His Yikes merch was ripped off so much, his official store was on the 3rd page of Google-AFTER all the FAKE stuff.
@eddyburback makes comedy + commentary videos. His Yikes merch was ripped off so much, his official store was on the 3rd page of Google-AFTER all the FAKE stuff.
It's all a concerning prospect when you consider many creators now make 30-40% of their revenue from merch. And some are simply making a TON of 
.
@Loganpaul said his Maverick brand made $30-$40 million in its first year of business. https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/09/14/logan-paul-maverick-merch-30-40-million/
. @Loganpaul said his Maverick brand made $30-$40 million in its first year of business. https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/09/14/logan-paul-maverick-merch-30-40-million/
But what's more concerning is the counterfeit merch industry at large has ties to some seriously nefarious organizations.
Counterfeiting is thought to be THE MOST profitable component of transnational crime groups. #2 is drugs. #3 is human trafficking. https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/6240-ngo-transnational-organized-crime-groups-make-us-2-2-trillion-a-year
Counterfeiting is thought to be THE MOST profitable component of transnational crime groups. #2 is drugs. #3 is human trafficking. https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/6240-ngo-transnational-organized-crime-groups-make-us-2-2-trillion-a-year
There are brand-monitoring companies that are trying to solve the online counterfeit problem, too. @snapdragon_ip is one. @counterfind is another. https://www.billboard.com/articles/deep-dive/maximizing-merch/9452431/this-tech-start-up-thats-using-ai-to-combat-counterfeit-merch-online
SnapDragon says the BEST thing a creator can do is file a trademark. It's the only major weapon you have when asking a platform to remove fakes.
The 2nd best thing is engage your audience. Eddy Burback did that. It got his store back on page 1 of Google.
The 2nd best thing is engage your audience. Eddy Burback did that. It got his store back on page 1 of Google.
In short:
Fake merch is becoming a big deal. Some creators guess as much as 95% of their products sold are illegitimate.
Buy official whenever possible.
If you're a creator, get your audience to call out counterfeits and trademark what you can.
Fake merch is becoming a big deal. Some creators guess as much as 95% of their products sold are illegitimate. Buy official whenever possible.If you're a creator, get your audience to call out counterfeits and trademark what you can.
