Comparative Analysis of Cosmopolitan and Glamour Magazines' Strategies

This report provides a comparative analysis of Cosmopolitan and Glamour magazines, focusing on their target audiences and marketing strategies. The introduction highlights the competitive landscape of magazines, especially in the digital age, and identifies Cosmopolitan and Glamour as competitors targeting a similar demographic: young, fashion-conscious individuals. The report then delves into the key differences between the two magazines, examining their publishing houses, historical background, content, writing styles, and marketing approaches. Cosmopolitan is portrayed as more assertive and vibrant, while Glamour is depicted as more sophisticated. The report also considers regional differences and concludes that, although both magazines target the same audience, Cosmopolitan's feistier approach has given it an edge over Glamour. The report references multiple sources to support its claims and provides a comprehensive overview of the two magazines' competitive positions within the fashion and lifestyle market.

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Compare/Contrast
Compare/Contrast
16-Oct-17
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Introduction
Target audience is, as the name suggests, the audience which is targeted in a particular
aspect. When it comes to the magazines, they face a tough competition, more so due to the
advent of digital age, where apart from the hard copy magazines, a swift competition is faced
from the soft copy magazines. This is amplified when the targeted audience is the same for the
magazines. Cosmopolitan and Glamour are two such magazines which have the same target
audience, yet are same in every other aspect. This discussion will evaluate which set of magazine
is better in comparison to the other.
Magazines with Same Target Audience
Glamour and Cosmopolitan are two magazines, who have the same targeted audience, in
particular the youth, focused towards fashion and all things “bling”. The two magazines are
published by two different publishing houses, where Cosmopolitan is published by Hearst and on
the other hand, Glamour is published by Condé Nast. The former came into being since the
1960s and the latter exists since 1939 (Maier, 2014).
Even though they have the same set of targeted audience, there is supremacy of one over
the other. Both magazines are focused on fashion and lifestyle, where they also cover things like
horoscopes, quizzes, and things regarding sex and relationships. But when the two are compared,
Cosmopolitan, is more on the sexier side as it has more oomph and is cannier in comparison to
Glamour (Am, 2012). Glamour also covers all these aspects, but in a more sophisticated manner.
So, even though both the magazines target the same fashion loving audience, one does in a crafty

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manner, and the other, in a sophisticated manner. Though, the things are changing as per the
latest trends and even Glamour is truly going glamorous (Post Staff Report, 2017).
As emphasized earlier, both magazines target the fashion fiestas but both have a very
different manner of writing. Cosmopolitan follows a more quirky and vibrant writing style; but
when it comes to Glamour, it adopts an elegant and urbane kind of writing style. This is true
even when both the magazines carry out a discussion on the very same topic. And naturally, both
magazines have a different manner of promoting their material. Even when they carry the similar
kind of advertisements, but based on the need of the PRs to opt for an elegant look or a quirky
look, they send the same fashion item to the type they want their product to look like (Maier,
2014). So, both of the magazines may carry the very same product advert, but one would be
depicted as stylish yet quirky, and the other would be displayed as stylish yet elegant. There is
also a difference in approaches followed for this magazine, based on the region in which the
magazine is being published. Due to the quirkiness of Cosmopolitan, it has been able to overtake
its rival by circulating more copies in 2011 (Jackson, 2016).
Conclusion
Thus, on the basis of comparison drawn between Cosmopolitan and Glamour,
Cosmopolitan proves to be the winner in the target audience which focuses on lifestyle and
fashion. This is true even when the target audience is same, i.e., fashion lovers, yet the manner of
portraying things in a more feisty way, instead of the sophisticated approach of Glamour,
Cosmopolitan has surpassed itself from its competitor.

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References
Am, K. (2012). Positives for Glamour, More Negatives for Cosmopolitan. Retrieved from:
http://blogs.christianpost.com/disciple/positives-for-glamour-more-negatives-for-
cosmopolitan-11237/
Jackson, J. (2016). Cosmopolitan magazine overtakes Glamour in battle of glossies. Retrieved
from: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/feb/11/cosmopolitan-magazine-
overtakes-glamour-in-battle-of-glossies
Maier, A. (2014). 7 Big Differences Between Glamour and Cosmopolitan. Retrieved from:
http://estilo-tendances.com/battle-magazines-glamour-cosmopolitan/
Post Staff Report. (2017). Cosmopolitan magazine is less sexy than ever. Retrieved from:
http://nypost.com/2017/08/07/cosmopolitan-magazine-is-less-sexy-than-ever/