Anti-Maxim MadePossible to Launch July

According to Michael Rideout, twenty-something guys don’t just want photos of sexy babes and articles about beer pong strategies from their media. They want substance.Based on that theory, Rideout, a former sales executive at Time Warner and Microsoft, this July will launch MadePossible, a new media brand aimed at men 25-34. which will consist of a magazine, a Web site, and an event marketing business. MadePossible’s Web and print editorial approach will be anti-Maxim in nature, focusing on helping young men with career advancement, finances and family life. Rideout said had conceived of MadePossible as a magazine over a decade ago, when, “As a young man, I had nowhere to go for that information,” he said. “I couldn’t find career advice in GQ or Esquire. I saw this as a Barron’s for young men.”But after shopping the idea to six or seven major publishers, Rideout couldn’t find any takers. At the time, the laddie category was dominant. More recently, the publishing business has been suffering and more risk averse.Now Rideout believes the timing is right for a multiplatform version of MadePossible for Generation Y—who are often dismissed as having shallow interests (he cited the 2008 book Guyland, which chronicles the current generation of young men’s inability to grow up, as an inspiration). “If you ask a young man who is alone in a room, he will say he wants the 2.5 kids, the white picket fence, the dream job,” said Rideout, who quit a $250,000 a year job and cashed in his retirement to get the project off the ground. “At around 25 these guys start making grown up choices for the first time that will largely shape their future.”That’s where MadePossible will try and help. The magazine will be free to subscribers—Rideout is buying highly targeted direct marketing lists of men 25-34 and packaging subs as free gifts with particular brands, including Ray-Ban as well as men’s apparel company Bonobos which will also contribute fashion editorial content. Not only will Bonobos sponsor the section Switch—which will feature men looking to dress for new careers—but the retailer will provide candidates to profile and supply fashion tips, topics such as how best to dress for a summer wedding “We want to be an authority for guys, a wardrobe consultant for guys who are not living and dying for fashion,” said Bonobos CEO Andy Dunn. “MadePossible provides a great way to connect with our core consumers through multiple layers of partnership.”But why a magazine? “Young men do read,” said Rideout, pointing to a large number of young men who read the Economist, per MRI. “We actually believe that men brand themselves by the magazines they read.”On the Web, MadePossible.com will republish all articles from print, but will mostly be centered on short form service content and video. Job search will also be a key focus, as the site will regular highlight a job of the day.The idea is to help young guys be better men. “MadePossible exists to empower young men in all aspects of their lives,” said Rideout. “The idea is that it’s now hip to be square.”

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Anti-Maxim MadePossible to Launch July

Mike Shields

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