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The title launched on Monday, earlier in the week than its rivals, and is being pitched by Northern & Shell as taking the best bits of its competitors and putting them in a single package.

However, despite offering nothing new, there is still thought to be sufficient hunger for celebrity gossip to see it achieve similar success to IPC Media's Now and Emap's Heat. Its 60p price tag is expected to go some way to ensure this.

Kim Iwanczyszyn, media manager at MediaCom's press buying unit, said: "Despite the fact that it has all been done before, the fact that it's the first one out there will fuel everyone's cravings for gossip. It was first with the Brits, which only happened on Thursday."

One industry source believes that the magazine could achieve a similar circulation to its established competitors, Heat and Closer from Emap and market leader Now from IPC Media.

"The magazine launched with a print run of 700,000 and it could sell as many as two thirds of this. This would take it into the realms of Heat and Now," the source said.

To help ensure success, Northern & Shell has turned to several tactics to make it stand out at newsagents, including bringing it out a day before rivals.

Mark Gallagher, head of press at Manning Gottlieb OMD, said: "It will work because it comes out the day before the others -- on a Monday. It's also only 60p, compared with Now's £1.10 and Heat's £1.40."

However, he believes that the damage it does to its rivals will be limited, although Gallagher does not think this will impact upon its popularity.

"It won't hurt Heat because of its feel -- it's not as upmarket because of its real-life issues. It will grow the market but not by huge amounts because it will be bought as an add-on," he said.

Its popularity on the newsstands, however, will largely determine how successful it is as an advertising vehicle. The first issue has been backed by TV advertising including spots in ITV's hit thirtysomething drama 'Cold Feet' on Sunday.

Its first issue only carried four full-page ads, from Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Partymob.com and Orbit chewing gum, although this could be a result of Northern & Shell's decision to keep the launch under wraps.

Iwanczyszyn said she would buy space in the magazine as it will reach the same audience as the other magazines in the market. Although she concedes that, having seen the magazine, she is not convinced it will be read by the audience that was pitched to her when the magazine was presented to the agency.

"The targeting is not as specific as it presented to us. It is selling it as being read by ABC1 women in their late 20s, but it's more likely to appeal to 16-year-olds," Iwanczyszyn said.

Gallagher believes that although it may not attract a lot of advertising, it will benefit advertisers overall.

"Even though this product is not fantastic, it will shake up the market. Although it's not a good proposition for advertisers, it will benefit them because of what it will do to the market," he said.

Gallagher also believes that the title will prove a good money spinner for Northern & Shell because it will be inexpensive to produce and concentrate on selling a lot of copies at a cheap price.

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