Meet the Man Repeller’s director of partnerships who’s perfected the art of turning millennial female audience into a ride-or-die sisterhood
Happy Friday, Deezers! This week’s interview is with Jasmin Aujla from the de facto millennial cool girl of fashion & lifestyle sites, Man Repeller.
We at Deez love MR for their absolutely mouthwatering editorial (will never get over this pie eating competition one!!) but also for the fact that the Man Repeller comments section is maybe the most supportive and lovely place on the internet. Take a spin through the comments on any article, and you’ll see readers & writers chatting on a first-name basis and probably deeply discussing men in turtlenecks. It’s a homegrown blog community unlike any other.
Anyway, we talked to Jasmin about the MR audience, how to **really** connect with millennial women, and ofc, her fave Insta influencer of the moment. Enjoy!
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The interviewee: Jasmin Aujla (follow her on Insta @jasminaujla!)
The gig: Director of partnerships at Man Repeller
The day-to-day:
Myself and the partnerships team work on all brand collaborations we do at Man Repeller, which span across editorial, video, social and events. We are the point of contact for all of our clients throughout, from the the initial conversations and proposal phases all the way through execution and final campaign reporting.
That means I'm in constant communications with various brands we're working with and also with the majority of our internal team to make sure the various project we have in the pipeline are on track.
Okay, so before you came to Man Repeller, you worked at major corporations like Estée Lauder and HSBC. What drew you to what initially began as a fashion and lifestyle blog?
For me it wasn't a desire to work in Fashion or Media per se, but rather a want to work at Man Repeller specifically. I was an avid reader beforehand and actually wrote my graduate thesis inspired by how engaged the Man Repeller community is.
It just so happened that a week before graduating from my Masters at Parsons, I was introduced to Patty (Head of Partnerships at MR) by a work colleague and it worked out perfectly. I joined the Partnerships team and also had the opportunity to turn my thesis into action by kickstarting our first-ever community events
The Man Repeller audience might not be, say, Condé Nast glossy level big, but they are insanely engaged. Can you tell us about that audience?
We're small but mighty! I've always thought of Man Repeller as a community first, ahead of it being a media company. It brings together such a thoughtful, intelligent and respectful group of both like and unlike minded people who are interested to both listen and chat. There really aren't many spaces on the internet where people (specifically women!) feel comfortable to share personal stories and make friends in the comments section, but it happens on Man Repeller and that's really bloody special!
What is the biggest thing other brands don’t get about connecting with millennial women?
The importance of actual meaningful offline connection. Especially within media, there's a strong focus on impressions, engagements, views etc. which makes sense for brands to calculate the return on their marketing investments. However, to really connect with people in a way that will be memorable, personal offline interactions isn't something that should be overlooked or underserved. It should also always be executed from a genuine place of wanting to engage, because lack of authenticity (for lack of a better word) can always be felt.
Man Repeller's very tuned into influencer culture (one might say founder Leandra Medine was one of the original influencers tbh) at a time when it seems like everyone and their mother is trying to "make it" on Instagram and get noticed by #brands. Based on your experience, what separates the people/outlets who are able to do that successfully?
I feel like the most successful people on Instagram will always tell you it happened organically by being themselves, and I believe that. Going back to the above, lack of authenticity or realness can always be felt. People see straight through it.
Man Repeller started because Leandra was writing and sharing her truth, and that honesty resonated. I don’t think there's a magic formula to making it on social media, but rather being consistent and creating content thats true to you/the brand/whatever it is you're looking to create.
Finally, who is your personal favorite Instagram influencer to follow right now, and why?
Not because he's my brother, but my brother @Doctors_Kitchen because his food tastes really good (I also live with him and get to taste test pretty much all of it!) Also for outfit inspiration, I think @Monikh is great!
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Follow Jasmin on Insta here, check out the Man Repeller Holiday Buffet here, and have a good weekend!