First issue of Stylist wins praise from advertisers

Ian Darby, campaignlive.co.uk 07-Oct-09, 10:00

LONDON - Media agencies have welcomed today's launch of Stylist, the free women's weekly magazine from the publisher of ShortList.

The first issue of Stylist hit the streets of six cities, including London, Manchester and Birmingham, this morning and has won praise for the depth of its content.

Published by ShortList Media, the 56-page magazine carries 17 pages of advertising from the likes of Clinique, L'Oréal, Estée Lauder, Selfridges, Marks & Spencer and American Express.

The first cover features Angelina Jolie, under the coverline: "A peak inside the chaos of the Jolie-Pitt home."

Vanessa Clifford, the managing partner at Mindshare, said: "It pleases me that it’s a read you can come back to later and not just discard on the Tube – something that people tend to worry about with free media."

She added: "I’m hoping that the launch will grow rather than cannibalise the women’s market – though it’s got a weekly frequency in some ways it’s more monthly in construction and doesn’t really have the focus on celebrities you would find in other titles."

Tanwa Edu, the account director at the Omnicom-owned agency M2M, said: "From a client point of view, everybody knew there was a gap in the market for an intelligent, intellectual women's weekly that carried relevant topics from a different angle.

"Stylist contains interesting articles, humour and I haven't managed to read everything in it yet – when you add in the fact that it's free, then wow!"

Agencies added that the only issue surrounding the title going forward would be to ensure that distribution is strong and it is reaching the right audience.