A SFW Playboy
Playboy celebrated its 60th anniversary at the beginning of 2014, but rather than patting itself on the back for a good run, instead it strategized how to reimagine the brand for the next 60 years.
Few can argue that Playboy isn’t an iconic brand. But Playboy faces a dilemma not uncommon to other legacy magazine brands. That is, a perception that those rooted in print may not be hitting the right notes for today’s always-on, always-connected consumer. Chief revenue officer Matt Mastrangelo rejects that notion and implies that Playboy can still compete. “Over the past year we have focused on turning what has been a perceived weakness into a real positive,” he says. “We understand that what we do in print does not necessarily translate to what we do in digital media. That being said, we have invested in the magazine significantly to ensure that we deliver the best editorial product and an immersive experience.”
The numbers back up Mastrangelo’s ambition. Playboy’s social following is one of the biggest of any magazine publisher, with more than 16 million followers on Facebook alone. What’s more, its recently launched website has grown traffic by 60 percent and is attracting more than 3 million unique visitors a month (desktop and mobile combined), according to Magazine Media 360.
The relaunched site is what Mastrangelo points to as its biggest bet for next year. The new Playboy.com is safe for work, so safe that Robin Zucker, senior vice president of digital media says her grade-school age kids can visit. Mastrangelo calls it a springboard into new endeavors and new revenue streams like licensing and e-commerce.