Already a big hit in the US, CosmoGIRL will arrive on our shelves with a British edition in the spring of next year, and is being launched as Cosmopolitan's "Little Sister" magazine.
Building on the success and broad appeal of Cosmopolitan in the British market, where its readership is at 1,943,000 per issue, the publishers behind Cosmopolitan have decided to adapt the formula to the teen market.
Targeting the 12 to 17 age group, CosmoGIRL will be more about attitude than age, according to Becky McBride, associate publisher for the new title. "It will be a glossy magazine, just like Cosmopolitan, but with the content tailored to suit the younger audience. "We are in constant dialogue with research bodies to grasp the teenage mind-set, and we'll be building on the distinct identity of the Cosmopolitan brand," she says. The average readership age of Cosmopolitan in Britain is 27 years, with females from the ages of 14 to 45 likely to be readers of the monthly glossy. The National Magazine Company are the publishers behind the venture and also have other popular young women's titles Company and Zest, along with mainstream general publications.
"Right now we're keeping the finer details under cover, but the idea is to empower and inspire our readers, and to deal with the real issues of relationships with family, friends, teachers and boyfriends - basically to give the big sister advice to the younger reader," she says.
The US edition of CosmoGIRL gives some indication of what to expect from the new title. Fashion, trends, celeb news, gossip and real-life stories all feature strong in the colourful glossy.
In sharp contrast to Cosmo itself, there's not a naked man's body part or a sex tip to be found. Dating advice and how-to-attract-your-crush tips are littered throughout, but it's all good clean wholesome fun.
Not as glam as the "big sis" version, this magazine gives a lot of space to readers' problems and opinions, keeping feature articles to a minimum and just gives the information in short "sound-byte" style. Shorter and snappier, the layout makes heavy use of photographs and graphics to brighten up the pages.
There's an interview with television's new teen drama queen, Leslie Bibb of Popular. Another feature articles is called "Sticky Friendship Situations!" and deals with the high and lows of such relationships. Then there's a `CosmoGIRL grooves with . . .' section featuring Sisqo.
"The new magazine will deal with sex, but from an educational angle rather than a salacious one," McBride says. Meanwhile, on the cover of this month's grown-up Cosmo, nudity rules the day: "Nude Flash! Outrageous pictures of fabulously firm real men - naked".
