new launch: LOOK magazine

ok, a little bit slow with this one, but i have the excuse of being on a different continent...

so IPC has revealed plans for their new women's weekly, which is set to be called LOOK. As predicted, its USP is almost identical to that of Grazia, but for a slightly younger audience - according to the press release issued by IPC, "LOOK will deliver an unparalleled mix of up-to-the-minute affordable fashion, high street shopping advice, celebrity style and gossip. It will be the glossy, fast fashion fix for today's discerning young woman."

Maybe it's because I had really high expectations for this launch, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed. I'm perhaps Grazia's biggest cheerleader (bordering on deranged fan), and I guess I was hoping for something a little bit closer to Grazia's proposition - a bit more aspirational, a bit more glossy, a bit more design-led - but also relevant to someone my age. I mean, I'm sure there is a massive audience for a weekly 'high-street shopping guide,' but to me, the best thing about Grazia is the escape it provides - the fact that for an hour each week, I can immerse myself in a luxurious, beautiful world of shoes I will never be able to afford and the glamourous lives of the rich and famous that I will never lead. I don't really want to hear about the latest high-street finds - I shop on the high street several times a week as it is, and that's enough for me.

The point is, I still feel that there's a gap in the weekly magazine market for an upmarket glossy targeted at a 20-something audience. I think my ideal weekly would combine the aspirational fashion coverage of Grazia (although perhaps with a focus on up-and-coming, lesser-known designers) combined with features more relevant to my generation (e.g. less IVF and plastic surgery) and daring layout / design / shoots (not just a direct copy of Grazia - I mean, come ON, they've even used Jennifer Aniston on the dummy cover - who else put her on the cover of their launch issue? hmm..). I can't really blame IPC because they're continuing to speak to their core mid / lower-market weekly audience with this title, which makes perfect sense - after all, they are the home of most of the 'I had a tumour the size of a football' real-life weeklies on the shelves today. Perhaps I should just start one myself - anyone with me?