'More real girls, more footy and more motors' for relaunched Loaded

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 05-Apr-05, 11:00

LONDON - After £2m spent rethinking the content of its original lad's monthly Loaded, IPC Media will deliver the end result tomorrow with girls still seen as the key to pulling in new male readers.

The May issue, out tomorrow, is the result of seven months of research and development aimed at reconnecting the title with the lifestyle its readers aspire to, according to publishing director Niall McKinney.

IPC has three issues of the new Loaded before the next ABC results are compiled to convince advertisers that its iconic lads' title can still attract readers, despite being caught between the poles of the lads' weeklies Nuts and Zoo and strong competition from FHM and Maxim.

Girls remain the reader magnet with the new cover unchanged in price, boasting a covermount DVD of glamour duo Lucy Pinder and Michelle Marsh. A DVD giveaway is nothing new -- last month the same device allowed readers to watch the 10 best pole-dancers in the UK.

Inside, the 28-page Centrefold section is dedicated to models from around the world, but another feature Loaded Girl Hunt, within the Going Out section, follows the "real girls" approach of Nuts, Zoo and Maxim, which recently led an advertising campaign highlighting how it could offer readers the chance to date girls in their area.

The Loaded team has also redesigned the magazine into colour-coded sections, including a motoring section, Roaded, and a football section, Park Life. The Arcade covers computer games and The Right Stuff offers 112 things readers could spend their money on each month.

IPC is to wait until later in the year to commence advertising activity for the title with a budget of up to £1m.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum.