When is the last time you read and editor say, "Those guys can go f*ck themselves, because I'm the editor and they are not."? Thats how Mary H. K. Choi, the editor of Missbehave magazine, responded when offered some criticism by established popular magazines trying to reach the coveted 18-34 female demo.
"I love the intimacy of the first person, I love voyeurism and proximity and I love the malleable nature of language — the sheer velocity of word permutations and the convergence of all sorts of sub-cultures — that can now be clocked by new media," Choi said in an interview. "This is a really interesting and fascinating time and the rift in culture and language between people born a scant two years apart is just really captivating and worth exploring."
She has great pride and braggadocio to say that trend forecasters and the Pantone people who establish what will be cool call the magazine all the time to see what their ideas are. The magazine is offbeat and irreverent and sometimes funny.
What's Driving This Trend
- Unique Publishing Formats
- There is an opportunity for innovative magazines to experiment with unconventional publishing formats, breaking free from traditional print or digital layouts.
- Unapologetic and Irreverent Content
- Magazines that embrace unapologetic and irreverent content can capture the attention of younger audiences who appreciate authenticity and boldness.
- Exploring Generation Gap
- There is a disruptive innovation opportunity for magazines to explore the cultural and linguistic differences between individuals born even just a few years apart.
Who This Affects Most
- Publishing
- The publishing industry can leverage unique publishing formats and unapologetic content to attract a younger demographic and compete with new media.
- Fashion and Lifestyle
- Fashion and lifestyle industries can partner with innovative magazines that embrace unconventional content to reach and engage with the 18-34 female demographic.
- Market Research
- Market research companies can collaborate with magazines like 'Missbehave' to tap into their trend forecasting insights and stay ahead of emerging youth culture.
