MEDIA: PanPac targets 'older' women through Dare

Publishing director Aun Koh said that while there were some 900,000 women between the ages of 30 and 45 in Singapore, that niche was not being satisfactorily targeted by any single local magazine.

A series of focus groups the publisher held with women over the age of 30 found most of them work, many are in senior management and frequently are also married with children.

These women said that they wanted a local magazine that addressed their particular priorities - money and investments, family and health, entertaining and home - in ways that interested them, said Koh.

Dare 's editorial team, led by editorial director Agatha Koh, itself comprises a group of women over 30 years old.

The premiere issue in August carried 168 pages and featured articles such as why turning 35 is an important milestone in a woman's life, and how to juggle the multiple roles of being a businesswoman, mum and gorgeous at the same time.

Koh said Dare was not a replacement for 24/7, a magazine he launched last year to provide an alternative for the trend-setting audience, but which lasted only a few issues because the market proved too small and the timing was difficult.

"Dare, on the other hand, has a much broader and much more mass appeal," said Koh.

"Newsstand sales are already fantastic. Feedback from readers is positive, and agencies and clients have, especially having seen the first issue, been coming back to us with open minds and signed contracts."

To market the magazine, the Dare team will be taking part in roadshows and undertaking these events with several partners.

Seminars and gatherings, centered around topics of interest to its readers, will also be organised.

In addition, strategic above-the-line advertisements will be run in the local media.