Girls, girls, girls

Name: Dylan Tan

Position: Editor
Company: SPH Magazines

What is your target audience?

Butch lesbians. Why else would anyone think of putting beautiful local women on the cover of their magazine month in and month out?  

What is your main editorial focus?

Humour. We're still trying to track down Bin Laden to send him a complimentary subscription. That guy needs to cool down.

What is your USP?

We've got over 372 jokes per issue -- that's way above what the other men's magazines in Singapore offer combined. Also, the writers on Maxim are not very funny people if you meet them in person, they're often grumbling about something called a deadline. How funny is that?

What PR approach do you prefer?

One that comes with a signed blank cheque made out to me.

When is the worst time?

9am to 5pm -- I'm at my least productive during those hours as I'm still sleeping. Also avoid 5pm to 9am as I hate people calling me outside office hours.

Do you have a preferred day in attending events?

Weekends as I want to get out of the house (I still live with my Mum).

What are the dos and don'ts when approaching your publication?

Do not speak English; it makes you sound more exotic. Don't speak with an accent; I only understand Singlish.

What's the best PR approach you've experienced?

It's hard to say no to smouldering eye contact. It's never happened before, but I assume that would work the best.

What's your attitude towards a free lunch?

Unless there's a chocolate-based dessert at the end and a free-flowing beer tap, it's not really lunch, is it?

FHM

Name: Henry Rimmer

Position: Editor

Company: MediaCorp Publishing

What is your target audience?

Guys in their 20s and early 30s who are driven and career-minded but still know how to relax and have a good time. The FHM reader is more adventurous than the average Joe, and gets a kick out of the quirky and the different!
 
What is your main editorial focus?

Gorgeous women, great investigative features and a stylish but solid take on lifestyle. We are renowned for top-notch photography in the way we showcase the women of Singapore and the world. Plus, our stories on everything from sex and sport to fashion and technology are challenging yet entertaining.

What is your USP?

FHM is a magazine that gives men what they really want. We photograph stunning women, tackle man-size subjects and profile dynamic people. Being part of a global brand, FHM Singapore offers a unique opportunity for advertisers to communicate with the straight, street-smart guy who doesn't otherwise buy magazines regularly.

What PR approach do you prefer?

Telephone calls are great because e-mails tend to be overlooked, and a succinct outline of what's being pitched is very welcome.

When is the worst time?
Afternoons are usually bad. Get yourself an early morning coffee, dial my number and let's talk.

Do you have a preferred day in attending events?

Daytime is difficult; such is the amount of work to be done in the office. Evenings are super, especially if there's champagne.

What are the dos and don'ts when approaching your publication?

Think first if what you are pitching is genuinely relevant to our magazine and readers, or if you're just going through the list of media contacts to call? Alas, FHM probably won't be writing about diapers this month...

What's the best PR approach you've experienced?

There is a PR agency here which represents a global TV network. Knowing that we might find it hard to make phone or round-table interviews, they offer to ask questions (submitted by us) on our behalf. Service above and beyond the call of duty -- and it guarantees them coverage.

What's your attitude towards a free lunch?

There is an unspoken rule that free lunches are paid for by column inches at a later date, and therefore aren't free at all. By the way, I like steak.

NewMan

Name: Ronald Rajan

Position: Editor

Company: Sun Business Network

What is your target audience?

We'd identify our core audience as men aged 25 to 35 -- working professionals primarily, graduates and diploma holders, about 60% attached singles and 40% married. Our secondary audience comprises younger guys looking for advice, men above 35 looking for a more serious read, and women.

What is your main editorial focus?

A well-rounded read with classy picture spreads of gorgeous women, personality interviews, amusing feature stories and sports and events listings in addition to sections on indeed how to be a New Man -- advice on sex, fashion, parenting, relationships, career, health and motoring.

What is your USP?

That we address the fact that men do read, and that there comes a time in every man's life where he has to stop clowning around (excessively) and deal with life's responsibilities. While beer, sports and beautiful women are the mainstays in a man's life, the ‘New Man' supplements this with an understanding of more serious matters as well.

What PR approach do you prefer?

Generally an e-mail or snail mail will do. The phone is OK if an urgent reply is needed.

When is the worst time?

During deadline week, any time of the day is not favourable as there are simply too many things to do. We'd also be too distracted to properly deal with PR people anyway.

Do you have a preferred day in attending events?

Not really, but preferably after 10am and before 10pm. And hopefully not on weekends.

What are the dos and don'ts when approaching your publication?

Don't force us to spin stories out of nothing -- if there's no angle, then there's no angle. And please don't call and ask when I'm going to feature such-and-such a product unless we've had some prior discussion on it. Also, we rarely do post-event coverage unless it's of our own events, so do inform us four to six weeks in advance for events. If the public can attend and it's something our readers might like to go to, we'd probably feature it.

What's the best PR approach you've experienced?

The ones that aren't too pushy and are willing to explore alternatives if the original proposal doesn't quite gel with our editorial direction.

What's your attitude towards a free lunch?

There's no such thing as a free lunch, but ultimately it's whether the lunch is showcasing a product/event/place that our readers might like to know about.

SNAG

Name: Edwin Lee

Position: Editor

Company: SNAG Magazine

What is your target audience?

A SNAG reader is likely to be a male aged 18 to 30 either in the young working crowd, a tertiary student or a Full-time National Serviceman.

What is your main editorial focus?

SNAG's anchor feature of ‘Favourite Babes' presents beautiful, confident and charismatic ladies. The magazine also provides ideas for wonderful dates and aims to promote a stylish lifestyle with smart ideas to unleash the suave-ness of the new generation Singaporean guy.

What is your USP?

Local guys should have the opportunity to eventually achieve a companionship which completes their lives. Therefore, valuable information for guys to score in the dating arena is included in various articles, providing helpful tips on winning and maintaining excellent relationships. SNAG, with its unique dating lifestyle concept and more realistic portrayal of girls is truly a magazine tailored for the urban, informed and sophisticated young men of Singapore.

What PR approach do you prefer?

Face to face meetings are good.

When is the worst time?

No worst time really.

Do you have a preferred day in attending events?

In the evenings are usually better, when we'd get a chance to unwind after the bustle of the work day.

What are the dos and don'ts when approaching your publication?

Do send us an e-mail with all the relevant details included in addition to calling us, with follow-up calls best left to one to two days after the initial e-mail. This is because we are sometimes caught up with work and might forget some details. The e-mail serves as a reference, with the follow up serving as a reminder.

What's the best PR approach you've experienced?

None really that I could comment on.

What's your attitude towards a free lunch?

I believe in giving treats, which I see as meant mostly as a token of friendship to bring people closer. However, many a time, a free lunch is not so much ‘free' in the true sense of the word as there may be people wanting a review of the meal written up in the magazine.