New magazines square off for readers

New magazines square off for readers

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): The appearance of several new fashion/lifestyle
magazines may be the opening salvo in an impending media war in
the Indonesian market.

Indonesian Bazaar was launched in extravagant fashion on May
31 at the Dharmawangsa in South Jakarta. Local magazine a+ made
its debut the week before.

They join dewi, Kosmopolitan and neo- in the local market.

Which ones will stand the heat and rise to the top? How long
will it take before one collapses? They are the questions on the
minds of magazine readers and publishers.

An editor in chief of a women's magazine acknowledged the
emergence of competitors was a challenge, with local magazines up
against seasoned international rivals.

"Certainly, the international brand and image of magazines
like Kosmopolitan and Bazaar will secure advertising from
multinational companies," she said, speaking on the condition of
anonymity.

Both Bazaar and Cosmopolitan have been in existence for more
than a century. Bazaar (formerly Harper's Bazar) was established
in 1867, and the additional "a" in Bazaar was added in 1932.
Cosmopolitan made its debut in the late 19th century.

"However, they also need time to fully understand the local
market," the editor said, an implicit suggestion that her
magazine was in synch with what local readers want.

She said the Bazaar launching revealed a lack of familiarity
with the audience. The fashion show and musical performances were
too long and the stage too low, she added, and the guests could
not enjoy the performance.

A producer of a leading Indonesian Internet portal said the
local magazines offered something different.

"Personally, I would prefer a+ or dewi to Kosmopolitan or
Bazaar. If I wanted to buy Cosmo, I would rather buy the
international version and not the local one."

Indeed, for English-proficient readers, there would be no
reason other than availability for buying Kosmopolitan; the U.S.
or English Cosmopolitan would be a better read than the
Indonesian version.

There is a lot to be lost in translation. "Sex guides in the
English version of Cosmo will become tips for a better marriage
in the Indonesian version," she added.

Bazaar and Kosmopolitan are owned by the same holding company
(credited in the magazine as the MRA Group, the initials standing
for Mugi Rekso Abadi) and both led by editor-in-chief Dian
Soedarjo, who comes from a family which is very much in the
franchise business. Although in the West the target market of the
two magazines might not be same, in Indonesia they will certainly
appeal to similar consumers. It seems inevitable that the two
magazines will be competing against each other.

The local content of Kosmopolitan, with a number of local
contributors, is approximately 15 percent. The rest, even the
articles on fashion, health and sex, are mainly translations. In
Bazaar, there is a fashion feature on Indonesian design and an
article about a personality based in Indonesia. With art
direction by fashion designer Biyan Wanaatmadja, who is creative
consultant of the magazine, the two articles comprise the 15
percent local content of the magazine. Bazaar, with virtually no
local contributors at this time, is operating with a skeleton
staff.

It is evidence that international magazines pay little
attention to local issues, and hence offer almost no challenge or
added value to their local staff. A number of editors have
already resigned from Bazaar following its launch.

In contrast, the two latest hip local magazines, neo- and a+
depend on the creativity of their editors. One does not have to
be able to read Indonesian to be dazzled by the appearance of the
two magazines. To be frank, you would not be missing much if you
could read the text; the magazines are clearly betting on their
cool design and graphics to hook readers, while content is
secondary.

Neo-, already out for a couple of months now, is the most
visually stimulating. Borrowing the look of The Face and
Wallpaper, it comes close to the two magazines in appearance, but
lags far behind in content. It is bilingual, designed to be
flipped over for the respective English and Indonesian versions.

Yet, content is not so important as long as there is a hype.

The question is not whether neo- will be able to sustain the
hype, but how long it will take before it is gone for good. Many
believe that it will not be long before neo- is no longer
considered new. Its own readers will become used to the fad and
the magazine, which sells for a pricey Rp 30,000, will become
banal.

People are already fed up.

"There is absolutely no content," is a typical comment from
those who have seen and tried to read the copious magazine. More
specifically, critical readers complain that the magazine is
overdoing its effort to become the trend-setter and they are
appalled by the patronizing attitude.

A+, on the other hand, is much less exciting. That is the
least that can be said of the first edition. The cover shows two
models in an awkward pose resembling silly cyborg-like characters
in all those millennia ads. Where have they been the last five
months? Was the magazine supposed to be launched last January?
The lighting reminds us of corny bridal photographs; is it
supposed to be 1980s retro or something?

Yet the picture does fit with the edition's main topic of
fashion weak, discussed in an article by editor in chief Samuel
Mulia, formerly fashion editor of Dewi magazine. It makes for a
rather interesting article, but it seems to be an odd choice for
a first issue.

Other than that, the magazine is fine. It has clean modern
graphics which are appealing and the articles are accompanied by
interesting photographs. Although graphically it is not as flashy
as neo-, a+ is produced according to high artistic and aesthetic
standards as well. It is also comparatively cheaper at Rp 19,900.

In addition, a+ has already lined-up contributors to write
interesting articles about people, places, events and happenings
closer to home. The writers are excited about the future of the
magazine. If it can continue to beef up its local content and
present it using cool modern visuals, then it has a good chance
of holding its own.

Who knows who will win the battle at this point. Remember the
expression: "Think globally, act locally", or is it "Think
locally, act globally"? Whatever it is, the player with the best
comprehension of the local market will emerge the winner.

It might just happen that the magazine run by the anonymous
editor in chief mentioned earlier will come out on top. On the
other hand, we also have to remember that the local market and
society are constantly changing.