Magazine Targeting
In the movie “Legally Blonde”, Elle Woods visits a woman in prison. “I brought you the bible, “she says, and the camera pans the cover of Cosmopolitan, commonly known as Cosmo. As a twenty-year- old young woman who subscribes to Cosmopolitan and Seventeen, what do I and others in my demographic want when we read a magazine? Do we buy it because we think it will make life simpler, or because it’s good reading material? Do we want to be the women in the magazine or do we just want good advice? Cosmopolitan is a magazine for women in the age range 21-30. According to this month’s cover, it’s all about “SEX, looking “HOT”, and MEN”. Seventeen is a magazine for young women in the age range 17-24 and it’s all about fashion, health, and expressing who you are. Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazines are targeting young women with quite different messages.
When the modern, teenage girl seeks out the latest in fashion, trends, style, beauty and boy advice, she most often turns to Seventeen magazines. The cover of the November 2010 issue Seventeen magazine, tells us we can find “425 fashion tricks, quick beauty tips, clothes that FIT YOUR BODY SHAPE, boy Drama, AMAZING HAIR EVERYDAY”, a story on a girl who was almost kidnapped and the inside story about Ke$ha (a new female singer). Ke$ha is fully covered and still looks sexy. The tone of the magazine is appropriate and fun. Seventeen shows the stores where I can find the latest clothes and at a reasonable price. The magazine has articles on how to save money which I think every teenager needs to learn how to do. Even though Seventeen focuses most of its energy on the latest fashion and celebrity, it makes sure that it also highlights issues important to teenage girls, such as prom, dating, health issues and “body peace”. The body image articles in this magazine could have a positive impact on girls and women. They show you how to find peace with yourself, no judging or comparing yourself to top...