Playboy launches in-house studio to develop content for brands

Playboy.com recently held its NewFront presentation in NYC’s Chelsea district. According to CEO Scott Flanders, since swearing abstinence in 2014 (the magazine had its last nude photo shoot in December 2015), Playboy.com’s audience has grown 400%. Building on this success, the company announced it is repositioning itself as a digital lifestyle brand for young men. This includes a new ad-friendly programming slate of 14 series (with 3 scripted comedies) and the launch of Playboy Studios, an in-house agency.

In an interview with Cynopsis Digital, Playboy’s Chief Digital Officer Phillip Morelock noted that the company is not new to serving thought-provoking content. “Playboy has a brand that stands for something separate and apart from nudity, especially online, and in social, where nudity’s never been allowed. There’s an old joke: ‘I read it for the articles.’ And there’s a reason that joke works; it’s because there are great articles. And we want to just remind everyone that people – especially younger folks - have certain brand associations with Playboy. We want to reintroduce them to the brand.”