YM further expands the teen market

By Jackie Panera

As far as capitalism is concerned, all is fair in the name of the almighty dollar. This becomes abundantly clear when I scan magazine covers on the shelves at a local convenience store, and then watch a teenage girl purchase two copies of the same magazine.

YM’s November edition is the collector’s issue. Readers can pay $9 for two magazines that contain the exact same advertisements and stories, but feature different people on the cover. On the plus side, you can have the lovable Kelly Clarkson, who was crowned the winner of American Idol, and the runner-up Justin Guarini, better known for his funky hair, gracing your coffee table in the exact same month. Other than as an interesting conversation piece, this is a colossal waste of money. However, this marketing strategy is brilliant. In fact, YM should have created a cover for each of the ten finalists and really cashed in. Besides, American Idol may as well be milked for all it is worth.

This is the information age, and hopefully teenagers know that with the flick of their wrist they can search for pictures of their American Idols on the Internet. There is no need to purchase this magazine twice. How many people actually save their outdated magazines for longer than a year? Even if people did, all they do is collect dust underneath their beds.

Teenagers seem to be the most exploited age group. From shoelaces to Barbie dolls, teenagers are constantly being bombarded to buy anything associated with the beautiful and famous.

YM is directed at females in their teens and early twenties, and the acronym now stands for “Your Magazine.” However, when I bought this magazine on a regular basis at age 16, it stood for “Young and Modern.”

I think YM should consider adding a “P” to the end of the title to appropriately stand for “Your Money Please.”