Cosmopolitan sells its brand in 59 countries. And although adjustments are made to accommodate local sensitivities, Cosmo is fearless in pushing the boundaries to stay true to its core mission, says Kim St. Clair Boden.

From Bollywood to Hollywood, Cosmopolitan editions are tailoring everything produced for their own markets. Such editorial boldness did not happen overnight: fledgling editions start off with baby steps as Chile did with its first-ever fashion shoot for its March 2008 issue. Mimicking spreads from September-October 2007 and adopting the same poses and lighting, they’ve captured the mood and style of US Cosmo but the model is identifiably Chilean and they’ve used Chilean brands.

Inspired by US Cosmo’s love of using New York as a background for city-influenced fashion, many international editions have moved out of the studio to shoot on their local turf. For example, India Cosmo uses its country’s abundant wealth of stunning locations to showcase its own exotic fashion.

Where newer editions take features from US Cosmo and have a local expert add comments relevant to their readers, India Cosmo takes inspiration from US Cosmo articles and, with its own special pizzazz, morphs them into in-depth features. Indian women are in love with technology and the magazine happily combines this with fashion and lifestyle. When 78 per cent of Cosmo readers say they’d rather have a top-of-the-line cell phone or a digital camera than a pair of designer shoes, you know India is on to something!

Malaysia Cosmo is closing in on its second anniversary. When it launched, it had to tread carefully in a conservative society: in photographs, women had to be dressed demurely and couples could not be shown in overtly sexual situations. Yet the editors stayed true to the Cosmo mission to inspire and empower, and with every subsequent issue, were able to expand their parameters. Now, they speak frankly about sexual fears, show models with bare midriffs on fitness pages, and lovers have finally made it to the bedroom!

Cosmo gets personal

The overriding interest of all Cosmo readers is personal life – more than a third of US Cosmo is devoted to relationship stories. The international editions love these and often put their own unique spin on them.

Some themes are universal: “Deadly driving mistakes women make” is as relevant in Brisbane as it is in Bangalore or Boston. The pressures of life and choosing priorities are concerns that also resonate around the globe.

Just as our editions expect Hearst Magazines International to protect the brand, we want our partners to adapt it for their market in a way that will ensure its success. We also encourage the spread of ideas through “round robin” surveys sent to all international Cosmo editions, which encourages many enterprising editors to look outside their borders for information.

Despite the globalisation of Cosmo (the magazine now has 59 editions worldwide), the iconic cover is as easily recognisable on the newsstands of Tbilisi as it is in New York. Every month, the international editions can run a US Cosmo cover image. Some editions have perpetual summertime, others are on the ski slopes when US Cosmo is at the beach. A celebrity in flowered shorts is not going to work in Australia for June, just as a jewel-toned cocktail dress isn’t what Argentina needs in January. With this in mind, the editions are offered one or two additional options. The choice of dress can change the mood from demurely alluring to sexy.

Some editions like to feature local models and celebrities and shoot their own covers – but they all adhere to the Cosmo brand look. They know it works!