BEIJING: Madame Figaro's China edition is repositioning itself,
moving away from the early-20s segment to focus on a more mature and
sophisticated group of women readers.
The monthly, which has been publishing in China since 1999, is currently
aimed at the 20-to-25 segment, compared with the 40-plus group targeted
by its parent magazine in France. Tara Lucas, who took over as chief
editor in July, said the move was aimed at reaching an under-served
segment.
"Most women's magazines today focus on the young. We want to move away
from that into a new market where the core woman is confident and
career-oriented."
Fashion and beauty articles will still be the mainstay. However, with
the repositioning, the articles will be presented as more inspirational,
practical and achievable.
The new target age group will be between 27 and 37 years old, but Lucas
said "age was a secondary" element of the new look, which will be
unveiled at relaunch parties in Beijing and Shanghai next month. To
accompany the relaunch, a major investment is being made in marketing,
which will include hosting a series of workshops, some of which will be
broadcast as infomercials on television, covering dining and beauty
tips. Matthew Farrar, managing director of Mercury Publicity Asia,
Madame Figaro's sales representative, said: "At the moment our major
clients are the 'A' list of companies. We think we can expand that to
include individual brands not linked to luxury goods networks."
