Hearst Fujingaho launched its digital media, Cosmopolitan Japan (http://www.cosmopolitan-jp.com/), on January 21, 2016.

Yves Bougon, President & CEO of Hearst Fujingaho, said in his opening remarks, "Our goal is to become a digital company that also publishes magazines," and the launch of Cosmopolitan Japan marks a major step into digital media.

Cosmopolitan is a general-purpose women's magazine first published in the United States in 1886, and arrived in Japan as a digital publication in early 2016. Cosmopolitan, which embodies the image of a "Fun Fearless Female," is a media outlet that empowers women around the world with themes of love, beauty, lifestyle, entertainment, and fashion.

■ Digital media competes with competitors for users' time

We asked Shirashige Ayako, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Japan, who moved from a magazine production company to an IT company and built her career there, about the differences between print and digital media.

"I'm not in a position to talk about print media, but I feel that print media is based on the premise that you're a fan of the magazine's style, has a worldview that makes you want to read it even if you have to pay for it, and is always offering something new. On the other hand, with digital, competitors are competing for users' time. To attract users' attention, I think it's important to understand what users are interested in and what they want, gain insights into their needs, and create articles that meet their needs. We also place importance on uploading articles with an eye toward speed. I believe the key to success lies in how many people find and enjoy articles that are distributed across various platforms," said Shirashige. To understand user sentiment, our editorial staff monitors all kinds of websites, including social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, and occasionally meets and communicates with people they believe are Cosmopolitan's target audience.

■Creating articles that meet the real needs of the digital generation

Cosmopolitan's target audience is people in their early 20s to early 30s, known as digital natives. This generation grew up with computers and had smartphones before they even became adults. For example, Cosmopolitan's most popular LOVE content features a column about the experiences of women who met on Tinder, demonstrating the digital native way of meeting people.

"I think it's important to know exactly what is bothering and bothering Cosmopolitan users. I want to be like a female friend. A good listener, someone you can talk to about anything..." says Editor-in-Chief Shirashige, who is also a digital native.

■Differences between the editorial structures of digital and print media

There are also differences in the editorial structures of digital and print media. The lack of hierarchy is an idea unique to digital, and there is a flat relationship between everyone, whether they are a producer, editor-in-chief, or just a staff member. We also value the results obtained from data, so anyone can voice their opinion as long as they can find and present data to support it.

The fact that Jobs at Apple always had a casual style is probably proof that he was on the same level as his employees. This must be the digital style.


※Insight = the feelings of the person you want to understand from their perspective


--Go to "Considering the Future of Media: The Future of Media Brought About by Digital Strategies -- Hearst Fujingahosha 1/3: Yokoi Yuri"


--Go to "Considering the Future of Media: The Cases of ELLE Shop and Mimore Teaming Up with Competitors -- Hearst Fujingahosha 3/3: Yokoi Yuri"