Favorite Magazine

*Image courtesy of www.fanpop.com

My favorite magazine at the moment is Cosmo, and although it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure, I think there are quite a few redeemable qualities about the magazine. Targeted at the 18-30 female demographic, the magazine does a great job of taking on issues that are relevant to people in that age group. The first thing that Cosmo does right to target its demographic is by its use of colors, fonts and images. Looking at the image I’ve posted above, you can see the use of very “girly” colors, such as pink and red, and the use of very curvy and cutesy fonts. In addition, the cover model is always a beautiful female dressed in impeccable clothes, which is sure to get a female’s attention. You can tell just by the cover that Cosmo is targeting young females, and that’s exactly what they want. They know their audience and they embrace it.

Furthermore, Cosmo uses celebrities to further target its demographic. The cover models are always gorgeous and very relevant celebrities that many females look up to as role models. Women such as Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, and Rihanna have all graced the cover and they are all celebrities that are admired by young females. Seeing one of these women on the cover grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to read more, because young women not only want to learn more about these celebrities’ lives, but also want to be more like them (because they are fabulous).

Cosmo also targets its demographic by writing articles about relevant topics. Sometimes a girl just wants to read about the best hairstyles of 2014, or how to apply winged eyeliner, which is what Cosmo gives you. The magazine is very focused on love and sex as well, which are topics that many women of this age are concerned about. They can be somewhat awkward topics to address in public situations, so Cosmo gives women easy access to other women’s opinion on these issues.

Lastly, Cosmo does a good job at addressing the insecurities of women and making them less pronounced, which is another reason why they target their audience so well. Although Cosmo emphasizes being “sexy”, it also emphasizes loving yourself, and being healthy and happy in your own skin. Women are looking for a magazine that makes them feel better about themselves, not worse, and Cosmo often touches on being confident and secure with who you are.

All of these aspects account for Cosmo’s great success at targeting its demographic. It might not be an extremely deep or thought provoking reading, but it’s not trying to be. Cosmo is light and enjoyable, and as their slogan says, for the “Fun, Fearless Female.” It’s women writing for other women and that’s what makes it so relatable.

Read what you enjoy!

*Image courtesy of whatgifs.com