Cocoa Girl, the UK’s first black girls’ magazine has gone from website subscription to the high street sales in less than four months, says Marketforce.
Mum of two Serlina Boyd came up with the idea in March 2020 after being frustrated at the lack of reading materials featuring black children that were available to buy in shops: “As we were entering lockdown I wanted to make sure that I had enough resources to keep my six year old daughter busy, I was looking in the shops and online and couldn’t find any magazines with black children in them.”
Cocoa is written for children, by children, say the publishers. Serlina’s daughter Faith (6) who featured as the face of the first Cocoa Girl is the editor, and there are other child contributors and writers. The magazines have an educational section written by a head teacher and there are also sections about black history and black role models featured in the Cocoa Excellence section. Targeted at children of all races with the aim of teaching them about black history and culture. There is also a focus on interactivity and elements of the magazine can be brought to life by using a QR code reader.
The launch will be covered live on Good Morning Britain, with a feature on Sunday Morning Live on 25th October 2020. Clear Channel have also provided Cocoa Girl space across their portfolio of sites as part of their support of Black History Month. As a result, Cocoa Girl will be displayed on billboards throughout the UK.
Although Cocoa magazine is selling in thousands via the website, says Marketforce, Serlina’s ambition was always to get them sold in stores so that Black children could see a magazine featuring children that looked like them whilst out shopping with their parents.
The magazine’s cover price is £3.99.
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