Cosmopolitan has figured out the timing was right to use its brand power and name recognition and apply it to a younger audience. The outcome is CosmoGirl!, launched late in the summer of '99.

CosmoGirl! is admittedly not that different from most magazines aimed at the teenage girl. It features a horoscope-a long time staple of its mother Cosmopolitan-and swarms of back-to-school, boyfriend-or-crush scenarios, and teen fashions. CosmoGirl! works its covers with teenage-oriented celebrities like Melissa Joan Hart who plays television's popular teen age witch Sabrina. And although most of the editorial well is nothing new in terms of turning out the teen girl's magazine, CosmoGirl! responds to what its readers want.

Inside, readers have the chance to win makeup kits, wardrobes or a tank top like the one Madonna wears. The premiere issue came complete with heartthrob Ben Affleck stickers. Beside the obvious give-aways, Cosmogirl! allows readers to "eavesdrop on some celebs with us," and tells "how to buy the stuff you've been reading about," a piece of content that advertisers are sure to find is added value.

Still, as similar as it is to most other teen magazines, CosmoGirl! stands out in the teen category because it seems fairly mature (even if its intended audience isn't) and because, well, it's a spin-off on Cosmopolitan. Hearst is of course, looking into the future with a title like CosmoGirl! Young readers who get hooked on the "girl" addition may just transfer that name recognition to the original Cosmopolitan when they approach college and are in their 20s. The link, you see, moves both ways.