Target Audiences: Cosmopolitan Magazine vs Playboy
Love, Hate, and Target Audiences: Cosmopolitan Magazine vs Playboy
Cosmopolitan is a magazine directed toward a twenty-something, female crowd who care about their appearance, health, and recreation. On the other end of the spectrum is Playboy, a magazine targeted at a primarily male audience. I am a subscriber to Cosmopolitan magazine, and would recommend it to other young female readers. However, because Playboy is not targeted toward my specifics, I am not and most likely never will be a subscriber.
The covers of these two magazines are actually quite similar. They both depict an appealing female. They are portrayed, however, in an entirely different manner. The Cosmopolitan graces Cameron Diaz, an icon that women see as a sexy, independent, and successful woman. Women look to buy Cosmopolitan in stores because Cameron Diaz is someone who they admire; someone they subconsciously want to be like. Playboy has also presented its audience with a sexy female, but the sexuality behind the cover picture is a bit more explicit. This appeals to men readers because the cover serves as somewhat of a tease to what they might find inside the magazine after purchasing. The reasons that I am so much more prone to buy Cosmopolitan rather than Playboy is because Cosmopolitan does a much better job of depicting what I think a sexy female should look and act like. Playboy creates false images of women to appease the typical male fantasy.
When reviewing the content of both magazines, it is obvious whom the magazine has attempted to target. Cosmopolitan has a considerable amount more copy than Playboy. Playboy contains mainly pictorials accompanied by captions or maybe a small article (if she’s the centerfold). The point is, Playboy writes just enough to get the point across. There are several cartoons throughout the magazine, mostly containing one- sentence punch lines. This magazine also contains fashion advice, quotes from how women feel on certain issues, and other manly issues. The advertising in this magazine is also focused on the male population with spots on thinks like: different alcohols, cigarettes, electronic devices, and sexual products. In Cosmopolitan, there is a lot more explanation on things. For example, the article in Cosmopolitan that is called “His Secret After-Sex List.” After reading the issue of Playboy I know that men probably do have after-sex lists. However, they don’t want to talk about it. There is no such thing in man-world as “making...