'What recession?' ask teen mags

Johannesburg - Ndalo Media is going where few have dared, by launching a magazine squarely aimed at teenage boys. And in a recession, too. Managing director Khanyi Dlomo said that the publication would fill a gap in the sea of titles aimed at the teenage girl.

She adds that the inspiration came from her sons - sports mad boys who sometimes want to delve into issues she as a mother couldn't fully cover. But while there may be a gap in the market, is there a market in the gap?

When Destiny Man was launched in July, Dlomo provided some insight about SportTeen, which was still a work in progress at the time. She explains that there was interest from advertisers, because she was talking to a savvy market.

There was some work, though, as marketing material had to be produced from scratch to suit the readers. Much of the magazine's content is skewed towards soccer, although other sports are covered. Lifestyle, advice and reviews are also part of the package. The website, with an emphasis on networking, was also launched concurrently.

Seventeen

Seventeen is another publication that doesn't seem to know there's a downturn going on. The magazine has now partnered with Vodafone Live (mobile portal) to give its readers online content, especially catering to them on the celebrity and entertainment section. According to Natalie Dixon, digital publisher of 8 Ink Media, publishers of Seventeen, content such as wallpapers, teen horoscopes and relationship advice will be available, which they will pay to download.

With publishers reluctant to charge for content online, Dixon says this is one of those situations where it can be done: it is inexpensive and something that users would be willing to spend their money on. Users will be informed through the magazine, via online advertising such as banners and the default settings on Vodacom handsets.

Seventeen readers who are not Vodacom users will be excluded, but Dixon says she hopes they will be able to extend the service to include everyone. "We would have to produce different content from scratch if this happens. We want to be where teenagers are on the web and see how they interact with what's available." She describes their foray into MXit as a great success with 104 000 joining their group and downloading similar content to that offered on Vodafone Live.

Managing director of Teenzone, Irene Oxley, says they rely on face to face interaction. She says their focus is on giving back, which they do through competitions and bursaries. A recent example is of their collaboration with Lisof fashion school, Soviet, Vega and 5FM. Sixteen-year-olds created photoshoots with the help of Lisof students and workshops from Vega for Soviet. The finalists featured their work at Fashion Week and the winner received a bursary to the fashion school. "We are on the ground, holding promotions at events and going to schools," she says.

Its only online presence is a group on Facebook. Most of those active on the group are girls, although they target both sexes. She adds, "We do cater more for the girls in the magazine, and boys just don't buy magazines."

- Fin24.com