Loaded bagged IPC’s December Cover of the Month, and immediately ran into the usual run of complaints, culminating in the decision not to put the cover on display in the Blue Sky Cafe, as it was recognised that this sort of material still genuinely offends many people. Which in this day and age, I am absolutely delighted by, as the ability of magazines to enrage and infuriate was the reason why I got into this line of work in the first place. Thank god they still work!
Commenting on ‘men’s’ magazines has tripped up smarter people than me, but in its market, this cover is good work, so it’s right that I make the attempt.
Before I explain why this cover is a worthy winner, I do need to declare an interest. Which is that Steve Sutherland and I saw this cover several times during its production schedule, offering our opinion and advice as usual. However that notwithstanding, the work you see here is 100% that of Loaded’s indominatable editor Martin Daubney, and his excellent new art director Blue Buxton.
I believe the reason why people get so upset by this sort of imagery, is that it sexually objectifies women, and creates an inaccurate view of women and their place in the world. Which is fair enough, if only it were true. But it’s not. Loaded, like most men’s magazines, is a fantasy. And whilst it’s always possible for this fantasy to be misinterpreted, the magazine never pretends to be anything that it’s not.
Women’s magazines also like to run images of famous women supporting impossible body images, and dangerous ideas of what men might find desirable. Which although intended as light entertainment, stand a greater chance of being misunderstood as they support a much broader mix of genuine practical advice and positive emotional support.
Both men and women’s magazines operate in thoroughly desensitised and highly credulous markets. There was a time when no credible women’s magazine editor would ever run the mythical (and highly irresponsible) cover line: ‘Drop a dress size by this Friday’. Now such lines are commonplace. Likewise, men’s magazines find themselves creating their own equally implausible scenarios.
So after all the fuss, is the cover really any good? Well, yes! Here are seven things to think about.
1. The picture. Men’s magazines have always succeeded on the basis of Right Girl, Right Time. We’ll have to see if that holds true here, but on paper it looks promising. Page 3’s longstanding favourite Sophie Howard along with some brand new girl who fair leaps off the page. Glamour photography is an artform just like any other, and this picture really is very well made. Shot by Zoe McConnell and art directed by Blue, the lighting is spot on: strength in the shadows, yet still well rounded, clearly lit on the faces, but a very flattering back light on the ladies’ derrières. The retouching is good too. So often it’s completely overcooked, but here the touch is light enough to retain a real sense of believability in the fantasy. Moles are retained, and the skin texture is nicely seen.
2. The colour way. As noted in my earlier post regarding US glamour http://npdnotebook.com/2008/magazines/only-in-america/, a red logo on a blue background always works. And the use of just one colour creates a sense of class that is not seen in the weekly market.
3. Value. Nuts magazine has fairly done it for the monthly market, with 50% market share. So Loaded has to walk a fine line between looking like there’s tons in it for £3.40, but at the same time, reflecting that this is a perfect bound, monthly purchase, and as such a more considered presentation. So all four drop-in images have a white border, which holds them nicely in the same aesthetic corridor, so to speak.
4. Shagging reindeer on the cover. There’s absolutely nothing about this inside, but as an illustration of the Loaded brand values, this works for me! Although I must say that a chimp with a machine gun is still my favourite route to this particular part of the Loaded DNA.
5. Hollyoaks in the hot spot. As we have discussed before, this area is the key to sales success in any market. I would like to have seen the type bigger here, but that aside, given the proven power of this show, the promise of Soap’s Superbitch getting super rude is pretty good.
6. Launderette Lesbians. This really did divide the publishing team, as many felt that the picture overplayed the girl content, and dragged the title down to the level of Front, Loaded’s much weaker rival. But given the high polish of the main image it gives context and permission for a much edgier picture, both in content and styling, without screwing up the brand.
7. Snow over the logo. The oldest cliché in the world, but undertaken here with real class.