Professor of Marketing Chris Hackley, brings his insight into the relaunch of ‘Loaded’ - the biggest Lad’s mag of the 1990s and 2000s.

‘Loaded’, one of the biggest Lad’s Mags from the 1990s and early 2000s, is relaunching itself as a digital-only version, ‘Loadedworld’. Panned by some sections of the media, the online magazine is planning to target the same readers it once had, offering them ‘a safe space’ online to suit their more mature outlook on life. But what are its chances of success in this increasingly competitive online world?
In an article in The Conversation, Royal Holloway Professor of Marketing Chris Hackley explores the relaunch of ‘Loaded’, the magazine that challenged political correctness in the 1990s and 2000s. Co-authored with Dr Rungpaka Amy Hackley, a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Birkbeck, University of London, the article discusses how the new digital offering is planning to evolve, shifting its messaging to target the original readership - older but maybe not wiser. Examining the reception the announcement has received, the article also outlines how the marketing landscape has changed in the intervening years, explaining why this relaunch might be more of a risk in an increasingly competitive online world.

You can read the full article via The Conversation’s website here: