Biggest problem

Mark Tomlonson tomlonson@wmich.edu
Mon, 03 Feb 2003 16:28:02 -0500


The biggest problem facing Playboy today is a large portion of its 
target audience can truthfully say "Playboy? Yeah, my Grandfather used 
to read that." It's not too far from the problem a division of GM faced 
and was not able to beat. Playboy still seems in large measure to be 
your father's Oldsmobile.

For my Grandfather the beauties on the "Jackie Gleason Show" were as 
close as he got to admitting to me he was a sexual being. (Side note: 
Victoria Valentino was one of those beauties). I could see the value, to 
be sure, but the fact that my Grandfather was interested pretty much 
assured that I would never take it seriously.

Part and parcel of this problem is that each generation needs to feel 
that it invents its own culture. Playboy is trying very hard to follow 
the latest iteration of cool, but it's been at least 35 years since they 
led the pack. I'm not sure Playboy could ever become the leader it was. 
Too much history in a world where the new is worshiped.

Problem #2:

The world of erotica is not what it was 50 years ago. Anyone with a 
computer and an internet connection can instantly access any kind of 
erotica they're interested in. You don't have to go to the newsstand to 
seek out the only articulate venue. Playboy is now one of several 
totally nude, non-explicit (I mean portrayal of sexual acts, not sexual 
organs) avenues to erotica. True, they have a brand cachet that can't be 
matched as well as a sense of style that no one else seems to be 
interested in, but they're not the only game in town by a long shot.

Lack of newsstand sales has been offered as a problem for Playboy. I 
think most arguments are making too much of this. People don't rely on 
newsstands for their erotica as much as they used to. People who are 
going to the newsstands for erudite interviews and discussions are 
generally old enough that having fine erotica as part of the package is 
not something they're concerned with.

Solutions?

- New editors on a regular basis.
- Remember the past, but don't be a slave to it.
- Be where the target audience is, not where their parents were.
- Don't compromise quality. Even the most rabid nihilists notice.

Mark Tomlonson
Kalamazoo MI