(MediaBuyerPlanner) Despite the closures of men's shopping magazines Condé Nast's Cargo as well as Vitals and Sync, the four-year-old men's mag Complex, still remains, existing within the cultural divide between skateboarding and hip-hop fashion-bent subcultures, writes Media Bistro. Complex publisher Rich Antoniello views the publication as more than a shopping magazine and tries to tailor content to appeal to the current multicultural generation.

"We're providing a product to readers, and readers are the product that the advertisers are buying from us," said Antoniello. "The success of a magazine depends on if you are reaching a reader. We're competing with every other men's magazine out there, not just 'shopping.' That's just ridiculous."

While Antoniello said Vitals and Cargo were truly magalogs, Complex incorporates editorial content that describes why consumers should purchase the items featured in the magazine. The publication also includes two sections dedicated to addressing female models. "You can't talk to guys about hip hop and skateboarding without addressing girls - it's a part of the culture."

Of the mag's target market, Antoniello said, "We're not chasing a demo. It's a generation that grew up without the racial barriers of the past, and we're speaking to it because we are it." In competing men's shopping magazines, "you're much more likely to see all-white faces," added the publisher.