Totally lifted down to the F
Women's Magazines: The long-established magazine *Femina* is attempting to secure its leadership position in the French-speaking Swiss market with a complete overhaul.
Women's magazines The long-established Femina is attempting to secure its leading position in the French-speaking Swiss market with a complete overhaul. With no serious competition and an impressive reach of almost half a million readers (circulation 207021 copies), it is the women's magazine par excellence in French-speaking Switzerland, regardless of level of education. Competitors such as Elle, Marie Claire, Vogue and Edelweiss each sell no more than 20,000 copies per week in French-speaking Switzerland and hardly affect the mass product Femina, neither commercially nor in terms of content. Nevertheless: "You can dominate the market and still need to make improvements," says Femina Managing Director Théo Bouchat with a view to the 71-year history of the glossy title, adding that the magazine, which was launched in 1934 as "Semaine de la femme" and has been published as Femina since 1962, has recently lacked a bit of "punch" and individual issues have been arbitrary and interchangeable. In addition, according to Bouchat, the editorial team had increasingly missed the young women. In fact, Femina has aged with its readers over the decades and has increasingly become "le journal de maman" for the new generation or even a magazine on grandma's tea table.
More upbeat in form and contentThis is set to change on February 6: A capital F will then adorn the slightly smaller title, which will be more lively and colorful overall. According to the preliminary announcement, the aim is to retain only the essence of Femina. By mixing different fonts and creating new pictorial atmospheres, the Lausanne-based company is attempting to push the boundaries of the conventional genre. Previously, a single photographer handled all the fashion reports, but now a whole pool of photographers is being called upon. New sections, more service and clarity and a generational change at the top of the editorial team should guarantee that Femina retains its status as the women's magazine for 20 to 50-year-old women in French-speaking Switzerland.
"That's why we won't be concentrating on one subject area in future either, like Vogue on fashion, but will remain generalists," says editor-in-chief Renata Libal. The magazine will not only cover clothes, body care, glamor and celebrities "à la française". The editorial team also wants to continue to tackle difficult, controversial topics. And occasionally shake up taboos. Such as in the penultimate issue, when affected women reported on the experiences and consequences of a miscarriage.
Stronger reference to French-speaking SwitzerlandHowever, the texts in the new Femina are to be shorter and more dynamic and - where possible - have an even stronger reference to French-speaking Switzerland. In neighboring France, the paper has hardly attracted any attention, all the more so in French-speaking Switzerland. "Practically all French-speaking Swiss women have an opinion on Femina," says Libal.
Poached from Ringier by Edipresse boss Lamunière, ex-Edelweiss boss Libal gave the magazine a new structure as project manager last year. Since January, she has replaced the legendary Marie-Pierre Dupont, who, believe it or not, had led the editorial team since 1978. Femina's decisive breakthrough came in 1986 when Edipresse began to include its women's magazine in the Sunday edition of Le Matin. Perhaps this was a model that could also serve as an example for German-speaking Switzerland.
A facelift for the most popular women's magazine in French-speaking Switzerland: Femina is more dynamic and upbeat.
René Worni
More upbeat in form and contentThis is set to change on February 6: A capital F will then adorn the slightly smaller title, which will be more lively and colorful overall. According to the preliminary announcement, the aim is to retain only the essence of Femina. By mixing different fonts and creating new pictorial atmospheres, the Lausanne-based company is attempting to push the boundaries of the conventional genre. Previously, a single photographer handled all the fashion reports, but now a whole pool of photographers is being called upon. New sections, more service and clarity and a generational change at the top of the editorial team should guarantee that Femina retains its status as the women's magazine for 20 to 50-year-old women in French-speaking Switzerland.
"That's why we won't be concentrating on one subject area in future either, like Vogue on fashion, but will remain generalists," says editor-in-chief Renata Libal. The magazine will not only cover clothes, body care, glamor and celebrities "à la française". The editorial team also wants to continue to tackle difficult, controversial topics. And occasionally shake up taboos. Such as in the penultimate issue, when affected women reported on the experiences and consequences of a miscarriage.
Stronger reference to French-speaking SwitzerlandHowever, the texts in the new Femina are to be shorter and more dynamic and - where possible - have an even stronger reference to French-speaking Switzerland. In neighboring France, the paper has hardly attracted any attention, all the more so in French-speaking Switzerland. "Practically all French-speaking Swiss women have an opinion on Femina," says Libal.
Poached from Ringier by Edipresse boss Lamunière, ex-Edelweiss boss Libal gave the magazine a new structure as project manager last year. Since January, she has replaced the legendary Marie-Pierre Dupont, who, believe it or not, had led the editorial team since 1978. Femina's decisive breakthrough came in 1986 when Edipresse began to include its women's magazine in the Sunday edition of Le Matin. Perhaps this was a model that could also serve as an example for German-speaking Switzerland.
A facelift for the most popular women's magazine in French-speaking Switzerland: Femina is more dynamic and upbeat.
René Worni
