French title revamps for older target

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