In August, Cosmopolitan will begin selling CFG (Cosmo for Guys), an iPad app aimed at men.Cosmopolitan offers the answers to a lot of crucial questions. Should you get back with your ex? How do you make your pony tail sexy? Are those the right sunglasses for summer?
But one area the magazine has not delved into much is giving advice to the people whose secrets it is usually trying to unlock: men.
In August, Cosmopolitan plans to begin selling CFG (Cosmo for Guys), an iPad application aimed at men that offers a wide array of Cosmo’s brand of self-help.
The “All About Women” feature is a quiz that puts men in hypothetical situations, hoping to guide them to the right way to impress their date. She has something in her teeth. Should you tell her? Evidently yes. She comes back to the table after 10 minutes in the bathroom. Should you ask about it? Absolutely not. When do you text her after the date to let her know you had a good time? Immediately.
Looking for suggestions on what kinds of sexual activities women in your geographical area prefer? Yes, there’s an app for that. Cosmo for Guys culls responses from questionnaires on Cosmopolitan.com and feeds them through Google Maps based on where a woman has written her response.
Cosmopolitan’s editor, Kate White, insists the magazine has long had a secret following among men.
“Not long after I got here, I got a high number of e-mails from guys saying, ‘I love to look at the magazine, I sneak a peek at my girlfriend’s copy,’ ” she said. “A line I’d hear a lot is that it’s like having the opposite team’s playbook.”
To address any issues potential male customers might have with buying a brand identified with women, designers at the magazine crafted a new logo. In big capital letters, it says CFG; in small print, it says Cosmo for Guys.
And Cosmo is pinning its hopes on another important factor: the anonymity of an iPad app purchase.
“Nobody has to know,” Ms. White said.