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Cosmopolitan has led the women's glossies market for 30 years. As

the mag celebrates its anniversary, Poppy Brech asks how it can prevent

its younger rivals from taking over.

If Sex and the City's Kim Cattrall were a magazine, she would

undoubtedly be Cosmopolitan. Both Cosmo and Cattrall (who plays raunchy

Samantha) share the same uninhibited-to-the-point-of-outrageous approach

to sex.

Cosmo has been at the forefront of women's sexual liberation for 30

years this week.

For many women, buying the first issue of Cosmo is a bit like losing

their virginity: a necessary and important rite of passage. The magazine

has helped their sexual development by providing naughty sex tips,

fashion specials and relationship advice.

But what does Cosmo mean to advertisers? By contrast to lads' mags,

where explicit content is occasionally a turn-off for advertisers, in

Cosmo advertisers piggy-back an intimate relationship between magazine

and reader.

Brands in the first issue included Helena Rubenstein, Boots No 7 and

Scholl. Advertisers in the 30th anniversary March issue include Gap,

L'Oreal and Ford.

Like any market leader, Cosmo's dominance of the women's glossy market

is constantly under threat. Traditionally it has had to look over its

shoulder at Marie Claire, but in the last two set of ABCs the IPC title

has struggled to give chase.

The arrival of Conde Nast's handbag-sized Glamour last year caused

serious upset in the August ABCs. When overseas sales were included,

Cosmo held onto its number one slot by 690 copies, but on UK newsstands

Glamour outsold it by 50,000 copies.

Starcom Media's Duncan Sillence believes Cosmo is likely to outperform

both Glamour and Marie Claire in this week's ABCs: "NatMags has never

spent much on marketing Cosmo but has established it as a market leader

by investing in the product."

But as Cosmo turns 30, how will it continue to retain its appeal and

ensure it is still on top in 30 years' time? We asked Carolyn McCall,

managing director of Guardian Newspapers and Fiona McAnena, chief

executive of Mediaedge:CIA, which handles media for InStyle

magazine.

VITAL SIGNS

Circulation and growth of Cosmopolitan Dec 1999 to June 2001

Circulation % increase % increase

(period-on- (year-on-

period) year)

June 2001 452,176 -1.7 0.5

December 2000 460,086 2.2 -2.2

June 2000 450,057 -4.3 -4.3

December 1999 470,280 0.0 -1.3

Source: ABC

DIAGNOSIS

Carolyn McCall

Cosmopolitan has held the number one slot for the past 30 years in the

women's monthly market and deserves to celebrate. It has been a best

friend to millions of young women when it comes to shopping,

relationships and sex. So many magazines have followed where Cosmo dared

to tread. It has never strayed from serving its core readers -

20-something females with an independent spirit who today it describes

as "fearless and fun".

Only now might Cosmo have a serious contender in Glamour. Cosmo has

never feared to expand with Cosmo Girl, Cosmo Shows and Cosmo eyewear,

but with competition fiercer than ever, it could be in danger of

diluting the strength of its brand.

Brand extensions need to be strategic and not about short-term return,

particularly with a media brand like this that provokes strong emotional

attachment. As Cosmo celebrates its 30th birthday, it is probably the

time to focus more on Cosmopolitan the magazine.

It will be good to see Cosmopolitan's promotional campaign enticing new

readers rather than leaving it to branded hairdryers and yoghurts.

Fiona McAnena

In a kinder, gentler world, when I was young and eager to learn about

life - that is to say, sex - Cosmo was my wise big sister. She knew it

all, and let me into her gang so I could grow up. We aspired to be

liberated, and Cosmo helped us feel as if we were. Nowadays, who needs

Cosmo? It's the classic marketing problem faced by all pioneering

brands: as the market matures, competitors appear to chip away at the

big central brand. Cosmo pioneered the liberated woman's read, with a

bit of everything. Now, if you want raunchy, More! does it better. Marie

Claire is more stylish, Red and She more grounded and realistic, Zest

more authoritative on health.

And Glamour's dip-into format suits better for 'a bit of

everything'.

In its heyday, Cosmo was authoritative, understanding, honest and

daring, and men read it for an insight into their woman's world. But

being smutty isn't daring, and the good writing and exploration of

women's issues has been replaced by a diet of sex and disaster that

trivialises women's issues instead of addressing them. Cosmo was and

could be great, but right now it's Ibiza Uncovered in print.

TREATMENT

McCall's medicine

- Focus on the core brand - Cosmopolitan, the magazine

- Develop new revenue streams for the magazine - Cosmo looks reliant on

health-and-beauty and classified advertising.

- Promote the strengths of the title as a highly successful

international brand.

- Develop associations with like-minded third parties.

McAnena's measures

- Remember what you stand for and make Cosmo woman a strong clear voice

- not a loud-mouthed ladette.

- If the desire for liberation has been replaced by the demands of

'having it all', then help us deal with the issues this raises.

- Refocus on what you're good at: get some serious writing in to balance

the Sex and the City feel.