Lads’ magazine Ice is hoping to clean up its act and drop its “seedy” side with the appointment of new editor Darren Halford.
The title is due to unveil a complete overhaul on 21 August and Halford said the only thing left unchanged was the name.
“We’ve pumped some more money into the magazine and the editorial slant is going to change,” he said.
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“Ice used to focus on the seedier end of sex and bizarre events in life. It used to have a slightly sleazy image. We want to create an image of Loaded for the 21st century and focus on what it means to be a young man today.
If you could capture the magazine in one word it would be ‘bling’ – excess, champagne, fashion, cars and Gucci.”
New sections such as “Rides”, where celebrities discuss their “motors”, have been added and the print run has been increased by 35 per cent.
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Ice is expected to report its first official ABC figure in February. Halford, who said the sales target was 50,000 to 60,000, added: “We’re a very small company. We are one magazine against the likes of IPC and Emap, so to do what we do and survive in this environment is a feat in itself. My goal is not just to survive but to challenge the big boys,” he added.
Ice, published by independent company Select Media, competes against titles such as Front, which reported a sale of 142,287 in the latest ABCs, Stuff (60,117) and Bizarre (105,620).
Halford, who has freelanced for Jack, Front, Real Homes and Ikea’s Room, will take over from Ted Thornhill, who is leaving Ice to become project manager at contract publisher River Publishing.
Former Front freelance Jeff Maysh has also joined the team at Ice as staff writer and the magazine is in the process of recruiting a full-time sub and part-time picture editor.
By Ruth Addicott
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