First Issue Review – M

This new magazine from the Nat Mags stable is aimed at women with children aged 1-10 and aims to give support ‘through the first decade of parenthood, starting where our little sister magazine Having a Baby leaves off’.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, this title has a very similar feel to She magazine, and on a number of occasions the articles are exactly as I would expect to find in the aforementioned publication. I have to say that at times I was unsure what the article I was reading was supposed to be about. For example the 4 page ‘Welcome to the House of Sun’ article, which revolves around the fact that Marianne Cottrill has a large (very large) Edwardian house and five children and manages to keep it free from clutter! Ooh!!! The photographs and paragraphs which accompany this article neither showed me or told me anything that was of interest – either aesthetically or information-wise. Other features include ‘I chose to Adopt an Abused Child’, ‘When One Child Outshines the Other’ and ‘The Child Who Ruled the Roost’.

The articles which I found of most interest were those with little ‘parent’ content – ‘The Complementary Cabinet’ about the use of natural products to cure ailments; and the snippety bits found in other women’s magazines with ‘parenty’ sections.

Perhaps I’m wrong, but quite frankly as someone who falls within the target audience of both this and the other new launch in the market, Junior, I would prefer to read a women’s magazine with some parenty bits – rather than have the fact that I am a parent mean that I might only be interested in articles that are predominantly written with the parent (rather than the woman) in mind! Whilst I can see why pregnant women/new mothers buy ‘soon to be/just become a mother’ magazines I would question whether any with children 3+ would want a magazine which revolves solely around what they should be doing/being/buying if they want to be a good parent.

The proof of the pudding will be in the sales figure, which in the case of both new entries in the market place won’t officially be known for some time.

M is made up of 154 pages, 20% of which contain advertising from the likes of Persil, Ambre Solaire, Walls, L’Oreal and Elida – a much less upmarket mix than those found in the first issue of Junior – Jigsaw Junior, Osh Kosh B’gosh, Russell & Bromley.

Reviewer: Lynne Moxon

M: 0171 439 5000