Face-Off: Younger Sibling Rivalry

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

The genre underwent several makeovers in the first six months of this year, as all the perennial powerhouses in the teen girl market have been in flux. Primedia sold the venerable Seventeen to Hearst Magazines, Teen People changed editors, and YM changed publishers and lowered its ratebase. That means the upstarts, the teen little-sister titles - Cosmogirl!, ElleGirl, and Teen Vogue - are poised to steal some thunder from their big sisters. "Teen girls tear through these things. Day after day, they take them to school. They cut out pictures. You can't lose with any of them," says Marcie Kazdin, who, as senior vice president and group communications director at Saatchi & Saatchi, is responsible for placing Kodak Youth advertising. Cosmogirl! has the market head start, but the new girls are fighting for attention. - Mark Miller

Cosmogirl! (Hearst Magazines)

Ad pages: In 2002, 683.4 (+19.56%); through May 2003, 261.81 (+38.91%) Total circ: 1,069,904 Newsstand: 388,836 Subscription: 681,068 New advertiser: Estee Lauder

Already the oldest (launched in August 1999) and biggest (1.25-million ratebase) of the teen-sister titles, Cosmogirl! got even stronger when Hearst acquired teen leader Seventeen in May from Primedia. With that addition, says a Cosmogirl! spokesperson, "Hearst essentially owns the teen category." George Janson, senior partner and director for print at MediaEdge: CIA, calls the title the "cheerleader" of the bunch, "for girls who are still figuring out who they are,"whereas the magazine markets itself as something that "gives power to girls,"says publisher Kristine Welker. Either way, adds Janson, "I've been very impressed with Cosmogirl!'s growth, their numbers and how they're performing on the newsstand." Other media buyers agree that Cosmogirl! has the healthiest spot in the marketplace. Welker reports the 10-times-yearly title is planning to raise its ratebase in 2004, and points out that it made it onto Adweek's "40 Under 40" list for 2002. On the competition: "From a marketing and advertising standpoint, it is rare that Cosmogirl! gets compared to the other titles. Cosmogirl!'s distinct voice offers a realistic approach to a teen's budget." - Kristine Welker

ElleGirl (Hachette Filipacchi)

Ad pages: In 2002, 213.9 (+177.81%); through May 2003, 176.7 (+93.07%) Total circ: 300,000 (unaudited) Newsstand: 150,000 Subscription: 250,000 New advertiser: Nordstrom

ElleGirl got off to a rough start when it launched as a newsstand-only title two weeks before 9/11/01. It became a quarterly in 2002 and will come out six times this year. "I really consider this to be our first year," says vice president and publisher Jeanne Schwenk. "When you're a quarterly, it's hard to get people to move quickly with you. I thought last year we showed everybody that we were here, and this is the year we're getting all the business of those who sat on the sidelines." Schwenk claims the 400,000 ratebase (up from 300,000 last year) will increase again in 2004, as will the frequency. The ad numbers (up 93 percent!) are slightly skewed by the fact that there were two issues in the first half of 2002, to this year's three. The title has six international editions, and aims mostly at the 16-to-20 demo. "ElleGirl is the student council president," says Janson. "She's a little more worldly." Or, as Schwenk says, "Smart girls rule!" On the competition: "Cosmogirl! has defined the modern-lifestyle formula; they are the ones that made Seventeen look old. I think Teen Vogue's existence is a compliment to us and how we decided to make a go of this." - Jeanne Schwenk

Teen Vogue (Conde Nast)

Ad pages: In 2002, N/A; through May 2003, 144.19 Total circ: N/A Newsstand: N/A Subscription: N/A New advertiser: Burberry

After four standard-size issues were tested, in January Teen Vogue became the first American magazine to launch at its size - 6-3/4 inches x 9 inches, a bit larger than Reader's Digest. "We've had no resistance from advertisers on that," says Gina Sanders, vice president and publisher. While the size makes it easier to carry the book around and helps give it excellent newsstand placement, the publisher also dropped the cover price to $1.50. The mag will be published six times this year and jump to 10 times next year. Janson dubs it the "prom queen" of the little sister category for its intense focus on fashion and beauty. The ratebase of 450,000 will increase next year, Sanders says, but unlike its category-leading big sister, the petite Teen Vogue has no plans to compete with the numbers of the larger teen books. "We'll exceed our ratebase this year rather significantly," claims Sanders, "but if we hit 850,000 in five years, we'll be happy." On the competition: "Like the adult market, I don't see why there can't be two or three great teen magazines. As long as they all have their clear voices and missions and audience, they've done their jobs." - Gina Sanders

Sources: Ad page counts from Publishers Information Bureau; circulation data from Audit Bureau of Circulations for the second half of 2002.