Either another nail in the coffin of feminism or the catalyst for radical equality activism, Esquire relaunched yesterday, with slick new art direction and improved content which includes an enlarged and refreshed style section. Oh, and Kelly Brook’s breasts. It seems that men still haven’t quite grown up.
Squired by editor Alex Bilmes and creative director David McKendrick, the new look magazine is a strong statement on men’s lifestyle, and features a stellar cast of new contributors, directional creative and a stunning style section which now includes more style advice on ‘what to buy and why’, in the words of Alex. While I (as ever) take issue with the use of women’s bodies to sell magazines (or pretty much anything) to men, as a piece of focused brand evolution for one of the oldest men’s media brands, it can’t be knocked. And I am not exactly in the target market, obv.
Alex, who described the new direction as ‘unapologetically masculine’ – a mood immediately communicated with the wet-look Kelly Brook cover (closely mirroring one of GQ’s best -selling covers ever, feat. Megan Fox), promises ‘sexy, confident and accessible’ covers starring popular, often British names – both men and women – which will drive up readership, backed up with sharper content and – come autumn – an e-commerce website and apps which will present opportunities to work with brands in a more integrated way.
Summing up Natmags’ ambitions for Esquire, Alex said: “I firmly believe that we have the makings of a magazine which will breather new life into the magazine market with wit, enthusiasm and expertise.” And given the integration of the brand’s print and digital divisions, it is a definite one to watch.
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