Written on the 26 July 2011 by Jelena Simakovic @ Jump the Q
Keeping the Bunny Young
One of the most recognised and popular consumer brands nowadays, Playboy, has captured the attention of both men and women worldwide. Playboy Enterprises Inc. has three business groups – entertainment, print/digital and licensing, through which has gained recognition in more than 150 countries around the world.
However, none of this would have been accomplished without the man who has influenced society for the last 50 years and whose publication remains the world’s leading men’s lifestyle magazine - the Playboy’s founder – Hugh M Hefner. From 1953 when it was founded, up until now, the rabbit with a tuxedo bow tie, the Playboy’s logo, is recognised by many around the world. One of the most recognised logos, as stated by Wikipedia (2011), was initially created due to the rabbit’s “humorous sexual connotation” and its “frisky and playful” image. The tuxedo tie was added for sophistication.
Even though “the bunny” is now 53 years old, it seems like it hasn’t aged a day, unlike its now 85 year old founder. Playboy Enterprises is well-known for continued growth and differentiation. What differentiates Playboy from other brands is that it represents good and enjoyable life, while at the same time it contains sexy, glamorous and unique style. That is why the brand is appealing to both man and women from around 18 to 49 years of age. The brand captures such a large share of population by developing, marketing and distributing Playboy-branded merchandise which includes men’s and women’s fashion apparel, lingerie, accessories, watches, jewellery, shoes, luggage, stationary and a variety of other consumer products. Moreover, the brand is recognised through the entertainment group which delivers content for adults via television, film and radio.
When thought about , Playboy is loved because of Hefner’s lifestyle. As Rachel Quilty, Personal Brand Strategist of Jump the Q explains, “There are three kinds of people in this world: people who watch things happen, people to whom things happen and people who make things happen. It is only the ones who make things happen who are successful and this is exactly what Hugh has done – he made his life the way many would love to live. With beautiful women always being an integral part of Playboy Enterprises, the old Hefner keeps on living with the beauties in his mansion, leaving his fellow fans envying him. “ However, it must be taken into the account that Hugh has worked hard to bring such “frisky and playful” image to the audience’s mind. With Christie Hefner, Hugh Hefner’s daughter, being a CEO for around 20 years, Playboy Enterprises has expanded substantially. According to Soteriou (2007), Christie is most likely to be the one responsible for making the brand recognisable and expanding the initial target audience to not just men.
Interesting facts:
• Hugh is the elder son of conservative Protestant parents
• Playboy was founded by $1000 loan from Hugh Hefner’s mother
• The first issue of Playboy magazine, featured the now-famous calendar photo of Marilyn Monroe
• Playboy’s iconic logo was created within half an hour
• The house next door to the Playboy Mansion is the home of Hugh’s separated wife Kimberley Conrad and their children together
Playboy has moved with the current trends, keeping the bunny young such as technology and fashion, which have had an enormous influence in each individual’s everyday life. Playboy captures new and keeps in touch with the old audience by keeping up with the constant technology innovation, by offering television and radio entertainment through satellite, the Playboy-branded e-commerce websites and furthermore Playboy Enterprises creates and distributes content for mobile platforms and operates and licenses international websites (Datamonitor, 2011).
This has allowed for Playboy to operate globally which is another important fact in today’s business world. It is not only that Playboy is accessible to young and technology-driven generations, but providing the entertainment and fashion accessories and clothes is the other part of the brand that maintains the youthful image. This could be the formula to maintaining a brand’s youth at a sophisticated level.
Learn how to build a global brand at our 3 day Jump the Q - Brand Yourself workshop. Read more on how you can create an international brand like Playboy. http://jumptheq.com.au/jump-the-q-brand-yourself-workshop.html
To celebrate the release of Rachel Quilty’s new book “Brand Yourself”, Jump the Q has extended a special offer to that when you purchase the book – you’ll receive a complimentary VIP ticket to Jump the Q’s 3 Day Personal Branding workshop on the Gold Coast on the 19th -21st August, 2011. Valued at $1997. Become a VIP guest and secure your seat, by ordering your copy today at www.brandyourselfbook.com. As you can imagine seats are strictly limited. When you purchase a copy of the book you will be automatically enrolled into the event.
For more great resources go to http://www.Jump the Q.com.au today!
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