SPH Magazines regarded Icon Singapore as such a new concept that it dispensed with the usual pre-launch mock-up in favour of a whopping 300-page test issue, circulated among prospective advertisers, with iconic Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung gracing the cover.
The publisher did such a thorough job on the prototype that it left many convinced that the Chinese-language luxury title, due to officially debut in March, had already launched.
The Chinese-language magazine market in Singapore is small and a new women's magazine is a rare event - the last was Citta Bella, 10 years ago.
Icon, however, is steering clear of the traditional territory occupied by existing titles to go after an even more niche audience, older and richer Chinese women, who are into high society and luxury goods. "The audience will be very small," observes Jaeceryn Kan, client services director at Carat Singapore. "Nevertheless, there is an absence of this kind of publication."
The reason Icon went to so much trouble with its sample edition is because the market hasn't seen anything like it, says editor Elsie Yah, former chief editor at Citta Bella. Icon has taken its inspiration from the Chinese-language press, elitist magazines such as Tatler and fashion titles such as W, blending elements from all of them. "We wish to create a different look for the magazine, to try and make something that is unique to create our own identity," she adds.
Multiple identities may inhibit Icon's ability to connect with its audience, but if it can find the right formula, the access it gives advertisers to an exclusive readership should guarantee its future. The emphasis looks likely to fall on exclusivity, already attracting the likes of Bulgari, Cartier and Louis Vuitton, with a branded, invitation-only jewellery exhibition scheduled for May and a big charity bash pencilled in for the end of the year.
SPH has big plans for Icon, eyeing special editions in Malaysia and Indonesia, with the society spread tweaked to suit different markets. Success in Singapore should also mean success in neighbouring Southeast Asian countries where there are also small but untapped audiences of wealthy Chinese women.
Planned expansion into the more congested Greater China markets however, will really test Icon's mettle. "I'm not too sure," Kan says. "Hong Kong has a lot of Chinese titles. It will be very competitive for them. It will be a tough fight."