Cosmo Girl Goes to Israel

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Nov 1, 2003

Byline: JILL GARBI

Do Israeli women really want to read about how to lengthen their lashes and improve their orgasms?

Cosmo Israel will soon find out as a joint venture between Hearst Magazines International and Israel's Strategy Business Communication brings Cosmopolitan's sex, relationship, and beauty tips to this war-torn country.

Printed in Hebrew, Cosmo Israel's content mirrors that of its American counterpart, and much is directly translated. But there is some original material from Israeli journalists about local topics. The first two issues included, for example, features about Israeli fashion models who serve in the military, and financially strapped adults who move in with their parents.

Striking the right tone for a lighthearted lifestyle magazine against a backdrop of chronic strife and violence is a challenge, says editor-in-chief Lea Kantor-Matarasso. "It's sometimes difficult to write with humor or tell stories about sexual escapades when 15 people have just been killed in a terror attack."

But amid the chaos, life does go on, and that's where the opportunity for Cosmo Israel lies. "The same women who are worried about a terrorist striking a bus are also thinking about which dress to buy for a friend's wedding or whether to go on a second date with a new guy," says Kantor-Matarasso. "They expect their magazine to be their best friend and to provide advice and escapism."

Especially in tough times, Israeli women tend to turn within and want their magazines to do the same, says journalist Gili Lampel, who writes for You magazine, a Cosmo Israel rival. "We want to read as little as possible about the problems of the outside world, and more about how to improve ourselves, our relationships, and our home life."

Cosmo faces tough competition from You, a bimonthly with a circulation of 85,000 and For Women, another Israeli women's mag, which boasts a weekly circulation of 110,000. And Cosmo Israel may have to tap more deeply into local culture. Publishers who introduce magazines in Israel should heed the lessons of McDonald's, says Gonen Ginat, editor-in-chief of The Observer, a right-wing daily newspaper in Israel. "They learned to listen to the demands of the Israeli consumer, who wanted kosher meat that is grilled, rather than fried, plus a little hot and spicy."

Many Israelis have developed a preference for homegrown pop culture, Ginat says. "A few years ago, foreign music was much more popular here than it is today. This may be influenced by the fact that when people are at war, they become more patriotic."

While overall reader reaction has been positive, some Cosmo Israel's readers were confused by certain editorial choices. An article about self-tanning products "struck me as odd since we're in the middle of the desert, and the sun shines 12 months a year here," says Revital Filmus, a 25-year-old Webmaster with an Israeli telecommunications firm.

With 50 international editions of Cosmo, local publishers have to interpret the magazine brand for different audiences, says George Green, president of Hearst Magazines International. (Cosmo Israel published 50,000 copies of the debut September issue, and there are plans for a Russian edition for Israel's Russian population.) "Cosmo is published in tiny countries like Latvia and Lithuania. So why not Israel? When it comes to love, sex, and relationships, women all over the world share common interests."

In this nation, where women's roles range from paratrooper to prime minister, it remains to be seen whether Cosmo's regimen of counseling and love quizzes will bloom.