Men have been moaning about not having anything worthwhile to read for a while now. Well, there are newspapers and newsmagazines, but that's not what they mean, do they? They mean stuff like Cosmopolitan and Elle. The glossy, catty magazines that give women advice on everything and more.Men now have Maxim and the Indian edition is being edited by Sunil Mahra. This magazine has succeeded in tantalising generations of men abroad and now Indians will get their fill of gorgeous women and hot tips to woo them correctly and more importantly, keep them happy!
Ofcourse, women stand to gain in all this. If only Maxim is made mandatory reading for all men. But wishful thinking apart, the magazine is packed with entertainment, news, gossip, and yes, sex. Very candid Q&As on sex should have men fighting, to get their hands on this magazine.
One person, apart from Mahra, who has made this possible is 35-year-old Piyush Sharma. He is a science graduate with an MBA and now the CEO, of the newly launched men's magazine. Piyush's tryst with publishing happened by accident. He gave FMCG, IT, and the service industry a shot, before moving to Tehelka, where he was Vice President, in-charge of marketing for two years.
Having got a feel of the publishing business, he decided to be daringly different and brought UK's best selling men's magazine Maxim to India in 2006. Think global and act local, that's Piyush's editorial mantra. In fact, before the launch he spent one week in the UK, to understand what Maxim was all about. They also conducted a six-city survey, to understand what Indian men really want. The magazine relies heavily on Indian content, but about 30% is international news.
Barely two editions old, Maxim already has big boys like Samsung, Ford, Rayban, Hyundai, Toyota, Airtel and Nokia buying space. Being a men's magazine, Maxim has its priorities right. So there's plenty of glamorous women, gizmos, sports, funnies and fashion.
Its first edition was a complete sellout, with 75,000 copies being sold. Enthused by the response, Piyush is now planning to launch a product in the travel as well as the women's magazine space. Big plans, big ideas and a maxim to be a market leader, that's Piyush Sharma for you.
If despite all this PR, you need still more convincing to pick up a copy of this magazine, then check out their website. They are running a contest, where they are requesting people to send in the 'best' photos of women in their bedrooms. And yes, the good ones are being put online and the best one wins a prize.
This sure will give everyone, a reason to start clicking those naughty bedroom pictures! Man, won't you guys kill to be on Maxim's editorial staff - just imagine what is 'not' being published, out of concern for Indian values (and hypocrisy).
For more on Maxim: http://www.maximonline.com
Written for www.moneycontrol.com
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