18 LIFE CHINA DAILY WEDNESDAY APRIL 4, 2007

In the world of lifestyle magazines, men are totally overshadowed by women. However, men’s maga- What men want zines have Chinese men’s magazine publishers have yet to develop the right formula huge poten- Raymond Zhou tial as more to capture their elusive, well-heeled target group. reports businesses try to reach en may dominate poli- the sense that male readers are pre- second-tier titles jostle for the position However, this niche men who want tics and business, but dominantly drawn to newspapers of the next Esquire, but so far they attracts a different band their lifestyle in the world of lifestyle whereas women are the driving force have failed,” observes Ma Xuefen. of advertisers, such as IT to match their magazines, are totally behind magazines. Everybody knows that the main products and consumer rising economic overshadowed by wom- As conventional wisdom goes, men ingredients for this kind of magazine gadgets. Jacky Jin, FHM’s status. Reuters en.M The best-selling women’s fashion prefer adventure and participation are sports, travel, luxury and design, chief editor, sees it another magazine in China rakes in about the and are attracted to sports, politics, but nobody seems to have mastered way. same amount of advertising revenue fi nance and travel. There are estab- the recipe for success. “In China, a men’s as all the men’s titles combined, says lished magazine titles that serve “Getting the nuances right is elusive magazine commands one knowledgeable with the market. each of these specifi c needs, leaving but crucial,” noted Ma. For example, roughly the same rate However, men’s magazines have huge lifestyle a muddy area often without readers are often turned off by profi les for advertising space as potential as the nation gathers wealth a clear catch. of wealthy entrepreneurs or executives. a women’s title. But in the and more businesses try to reach men The demographic all titles covet They don’t want another rags-to-riches West, ads in men’s titles who want their lifestyle to match their is the so-called “successful people”, story, but want to know how these men are far more expensive rising economic status, examines Ma wealthy types who can afford the live their lives outside the offi ce. because men have great Xuefen, an analyst with China Book products adorning those lavish full- purchasing power and Business Review who has tracked the page glossy ads. Even the price of a n 2004, a fl urry of new titles burst their profi le as consumers magazine market for years. magazine, usually 20 yuan ($2.6) on the scene, shaking up the mar- is easier to delineate.” On the surface, the market for men’s but reaching a high of 50 ($6.4), is Iket. It was spearheaded by For Him Except for GQ, which lifestyle magazines is already cluttered way beyond the comparable price Magazine (FHM), a British “lad mag”. is still contemplating the with about a dozen titles, but the dy- of a Western counterpart, which in It quickly rose to be market leader in China market, most major namics is such that even the winners purchasing parity terms, is no more circulation. men’s magazines in the are not cornering the market. than 5 yuan ($0.6) at newsstand and “We sell fun to the post-hippie West have already ar- Despite their self-claims of a broad even lower for subscription. crowd,” as supervising editor Zhang rived through licensing reach, circulation is relatively low This has created a dilemma for Hanyu describes its positioning. agreements with local even for the best of the bunch, usu- magazine publishers. While target Breaking free of the stolid image of partners. However, as ally around 20,000-30,000 copies for readers are mostly over the age Esquire and drawing inspiration from one editor reveals, due to each issue, notes Ma. 30 — it takes time to accumulate its bawdy British edition, FHM charged the uniqueness of the market, they sophistication from its sister publica- China’s publication market is wealth and achieve social status, into the frat-boy area of scantily clad can use only a very small portion tions such as Nanfang Weekend.” unique in most of these titles have gained women and sexual titillation. Unfortu- of the content from the original Another Guangzhou-based domes- more than their desired share of nately, this is also a landmine-infested edition. tic title, Life, aims even higher. It is 20-somethings. area where one misstep may lead to The Western titles are actu- as thick as a coffee-table book and “They would love to be men’s self-destruction. ally known mostly by their Chinese sells for 50 yuan. “They carry noth- magazines, but some are just In a newly published book, edi- names, which often have little to do ing but absolutely the most upscale stuck at the youth market,” Ma tor-in-chief Jacky Jin describes how with the original name and less to do brands for advertisement,” Ma Xuefen scrutinizes. he pushes the boundary ever so with their content. Esquire is Trends observes. The Chinese edition of Es- gently and elbows into more room Men, Maxim turns to Poise and FHM During a recent cold spell, a quire, which celebrated its 10th for content maneuvering. He pulled appears as Men’s Garments. young man on a Beijing construc- anniversary late last year, has a column that directly talked about tion site quickly took off his clothes mostly avoided this pitfall. By sexual adventures and added content hile these titles have to bal- and strategically positioned cameras steering clear of “little men” and from a call-in radio show. ance their global image and started to snap pictures. Although catering to “mature men”, it has His conclusion: Sex, which is so Wlocal needs, domestic titles passers-by were sheltered from see- won “two-thirds” of the upscale crucial to a men’s magazine, has to rushed in to provide customized ser- ing him totally nude, construction advertisers that lifestyle titles be peddled softly and indirectly. vice. The cleverly titled Mangazine workers on the scaffolds above kept crave, according to Ma. “Regulators should be more toler- (Name Brands in Chinese) vows to a watchful eye. Ma uses the age of 28 as the ant,” noted Zhang, “The market has a capture the high end of this market. It was FHM shooting a graphic es- demarcation line, and by that need for such information.” He admits “Actually our Chinese title is a say on urban voyeurism and the nude yardstick, even Esquire is that the social atmosphere is getting bit misleading,” explains He Qun, model was a new arrival in the edit- skewed towards the young. more “open-minded”. “A magazine Mangazine features editor. “We tar- ing room. The scene was more comic Its former chief editor Feng like FHM would not be able to exist get the crème de la creme. They are than erotic, and the whole team had Wei once revealed their 10 years ago.” no longer satisfi ed with information fun with it. reader profi le as a white-col- Its audacity has certainly separated about luxury products. They want In a sense, this scene is symbolic of lar offi ce worker or student, itself from the traditional titles that are relaxation mixed with depth.” the men’s magazine market in China aged between 25-35, college “mannered” on their choice of subject Launched four years ago by Nan- — a little naughty, a little intrepid, educated and with monthly matter. But industry observers have fang Media Group, Mangazine sells yet at the same time somewhat timid income above 3,000 yuan noticed a “facelift” in Esquire as they for 28 yuan ($3.6) a copy. “We may while being monitored. ($385). started to put younger celebrities on not have the highest circulation but More importantly, the weather is “Esquire is a very their cover and launch features on we get readers of high value,” added warming up and fl ashing would be established brand. Many those born in the 1970s.” He. “Mangazine rubs off some of the less likely to induce a cold. WHO’SIN Bingbing ready to bounce in several competitive candidates, the fi lm’s director selected Acclaimed as “one of the truly magnifi cent voices of our cently that she Li to play the leading actress. He also revealed Liu Yifei, a time”, the American soprano’s international career spans expected 2007 kungfu caper rising TV actress, will play a role in the movie. over a decade. Fleming has cultivated a devoted following to be “a year of The $70 million movie will be based on the legend of worldwide for her work on the operatic stage, in concerts change”. the Monkey king and his quest to achieve immortality. and recitals, on television, radio and recordings. Her latest Shooting is due to start in May. Tickets range from 280 to 880 yuan. For more info movie, Because call 5165 6039 or 5166 8701. I Said So, hit theaters in Fleming to sing February; her with China Moore pain as model new album, Mandy fractures ankle Wild Hope, Philharmonic debuts on May Singer/actress Mandy Moore 8 and just Grammy Award-winning (pictured right) fractured her ankle last month soprano Renée Fleming jumping off a boat during a magazine she ended her (pictured) will join China photo shoot. “It happened at the end of romance with Philharmonic Orchestra on February in Mexico,” her representa- DJ AM. Saturday night at the For- tive said. “It was for one of the setups “I’ve been going through this really crazy time in my bidden City Concert Hall. for the spread where she had to jump life,” Moore said. Chinese actress Li Bingbing (pictured) is confi rmed to Under the baton of the into the water.” star in a martial arts fi lm featuring superstars Jet Li and orchestra’s artistic director Moore, 22, who has been sporting a Agencies-China Daily Jackie Chan. Yu Long, Fleming will sing walking cast on her right leg for the past Wang Zhongjun, boss of Huayi Brothers Film Invest- Richard Strauss’s Last Four few weeks, graces the cover of Self’s June To comment or alert us to a story, ment Co, Ltd which invested the fi lm Kings of Kungfu, Songs and arias of Rossini issue. It has certainly been an eventful e-mail [email protected] said on Monday that after two rounds of interviews among and Puccini’s Opera. few months for the actress, who said re-