What a good idea - a glossy weekly magazine that rises above the
regular women's weeklies, with a mix of celebrity news, current affairs,
health issues, fashion and real-life stories. Sort of OK! crossed with
Marie Claire, with a splash of The Guardian's Editor. Something clever
and light for smart women of a certain age.
IPC first launched Your Life six months ago. Old faithfuls such as
Woman's Realm had gone, and every weekly magazine seemed to be
celebrity-obsessed, with OK!, Hello, Now and Heat all competing for
female attention.
But something was clearly not working with this apparently fresh take on
weekly women's magazines - Your Life has just been relaunched, backed by
a national radio and press campaign through Roose & Partners. The paper
is glossier and the concept clarified, with the tagline "The Weekly That
Thinks Like a Monthly".
So does Your Life live up to its promise? It fulfils the first task of a
weekly, with clearly headed sections making it easy to flick through: a
Week in Your Life, Body & Soul, Indulgence, Life Support and Life
Matters. It has also got the essential celebrity photos at the front.
But does it have what it takes to keep you going back for more?
The best women's magazines develop a persona of their own - their take
on life establishes a bond with the reader. Essentially, you know what
you're getting into, whether it is on a weekly or monthly basis. Sadly,
Your Life still does not seem to have quite pinned down what it wants to
be. It doesn't quite satisfy your bitchy side - the celebrity stuff does
not dish the dirt on some actresses' dubious taste in clothes or men,
nor does it talk to your passion for style. The interiors aren't
inspirational, nor the fashion trendy enough. Even the ads are a bit
bland.
There are some highlights, however, - a pretty human interview with
Jennifer Aniston, a thought-provoking article on prescription drug
addiction in Appalachia and a piece on "undercover marketing". All three
are the right length and depth for a weekly - keeping your attention for
just long enough.
A clear tone of voice does not mean only one note - we all need some
light and shade. Perhaps this magazine has worked out how to talk
intelligently to smart women - but it hasn't yet quite understood how
these women relate to trivia.
With a million titles and even more websites available to us, we need
more than information from a magazine - we need a point of view, a clear
sense of a reading experience. Your Life has yet to work out what it's
letting its readers in for.
Publisher: IPC Connect
Frequency: Weekly
Circulation: 125,000
Full-page ad rate: £6,000
Advertisers include: Dove, David Ashton, Surf, Vitabiotics, Joico
