We maintain a 70:30 ratio of editorial to advertorial: Jeremy Cabral

Jeremy Cabral entered the world of fashion via public relations and became a blogger upon realising that it would be the next big thing.

Jeremy Cabral believes in not working with a brand unless his team is sure of its integrity and know the product or service being endorsed is genuine. The revenue generated from advertorials helps the team refresh the editorial content without resorting to aggressive marketing. In conversation with Social Samosa, he explains the content creation process at play.

Looking back, where did it all begin?  

I started my fashion journey in India as a fashion consultant with IMG Fashion as the International Public Relations Manager. During this time, i.e. between 2007-2009, I realised that Fashion blogging was the next big thing globally and will soon hit the shores of India. The main for the blogging revolution was because magazines didn't feature much on personal style; therefore, I felt there was a need to make the concept of blogging known to the India fashionista. It was a tough process and there were several setbacks, but I followed my instincts. Initially, I started with Wordpress domain and finally converted to a website in 2011.  

What's in the name?  

I remember when I was younger, I was fond of a show on MTV called MTV's Most Wanted. This show was so popular and fun that I never missed a single episode. The VJs on the show, like Nikhil Chinnappa, Shehnaz Treasurywala and Maria Goretti were all style icons and I preferred their style more than Bollywood actors. Years later when I was sitting and thinking of a name that I would call my blog, I thought of many different names but none of them was available. Then this one day I called up a friend on her office landline and said, “Hi, this is Nikhil Chinnapa from MTV’s Most Wanted and how are you doing today?” She immediately recognized my voice and thus the prank failed but it was at that moment that I thought of why not call my blog Fashion Most Wanted.

What is your USP in this cluttered space? How does your content give you an edge? 

When it comes to fashion, it's a continuous task to stay ahead of your game by creating content that is relatable to everyone, beyond physical boundaries. We avoid following the bandwagon of doing stories that are mindlessly trending or something controversial. We are true to our craft and do stories that are intriguing and close to our heart.

Please take us through your content creation process. How do you stay relevant and relatable? 

It's simple, while the world of content creators strive to capitalise on trending topics, we create content on things that we have personally tried, tested and experienced. My mantra is to give a message that I truly believe in. I admit this gets challenging in drawing numbers, but as I said we are true to the craft.  

How do you make moolah with your efforts? 

We have a simple strategy — 70% of our content is editorial, while 30% is advertorial. When advertorial sales increase we automatically pump in those resources to refresh our editorial content. We don't have an aggressive marketing team; we just focus on good content and the advertorials just come in. 

How do you maintain editorial objectivity with the influx of brand briefs? 

Like I mentioned, a 70:30 ratio for our content. We don’t work with a brand unless we are sure of its integrity and know that the product or service we are endorsing is genuine. We tie-up with brands to host events, meet and greet, fashion shows, grooming and styling workshops.

Also Read: Getting people to relate to her keeps Shivani Rastogi going

One instance/experience that made it all worthwhile 

My experience at the Jalesh Cruise. It lent such unmatched experience that I forgot that I was within the shores of Mumbai and Goa.  

Weirdest brand brief/request ever 

I’d rather stay mum for this one. 

If not blogging, you would be? 

Organising events. I simply love putting together an event; it gives me that adrenaline rush. Fortunately, I do this on a small scale. 

A day in your life... 

No two days have been the same for me and thankfully so because routine bores me. 

Message/tips for upcoming bloggers 

Be true to where you belong, don't follow the bandwagon and remember that change is the only constant in this field. Learn, unlearn and relearn. 

Your favourite Influencer 

RJ Mallishka for sure. She is so grounded to her roots. It's easy to travel the world and flaunt pictures of them but if you can bring out the true essence of the city you live in and attract a global audience, then you are going to build a brand that will stand the test of time.  

The Future you foresee for your Personal Brand 

I wish to see India as the fifth fashion capital of the world. Although it's a long-term goal I don't see any reason why that would not be possible. Right now, through our blog, we strive to educate our audience on various trends that have gone global but have an Indian aesthetic to it.