Opinion: Small is likely to be beautiful for A5 Glamour

Presented with a copy of the Italian version of Glamour - identical in format to the planned UK edition of the magazine - it is hard not to think of either Reader's Digest or Forum, the other A5-sized titles on UK newsstands.

Forum, for those of you too pure to have scanned the top shelf in the past 20 years, is a porn mag and hardly the kind of thing Conde Nast would want mentioned in the same sentence as its latest venture. The crew at Hanover Square are unlikely to be happy with the Reader's Digest analogy either.

But the fact these are the only A5 titles that spring to mind says a lot about the huge opportunity presented by this unusual format.

Doubtless, the press buyers will complain about the need to change creative to suit such small pages and about the absence of that 'curl up on the sofa with a big glossy' kind of feeling. Certainly, this will be a tough sell for Conde Nast.

But Glamour is entering a market that is as crowded as a functioning petrol station, and its unusual format will certainly help the title stand out from the crowd. Pretty soon consumers will associate A5 only with Glamour and Conde Nast can own the format.

What's more, small is increasingly beautiful. Mobile phones are getting smaller. Chunky Filofaxes look very dated. Women could be said to have streamlined their lives - or at least their handbags - and Glamour might well have an appeal on this level. A streamlined cover price will help too.

Using this format is a gamble but don't bet against its success.