Hugh Hefner, the eighti-ish iconoclast trying to sell Playboy to Penthouse? Decades ago, when Hugh is just starting he has this attitude of Playboy being the only one in the world. Penthouse was a far second to this first magazine to get "things going" for real men. The first edition came out in 1955, with the timeless beauty of Marilyn Monroe gracing its covers. Since then, Playboy has become any man's obsession.
Now, the obsession has become old. Nude photos are everywhere and Playboy lost in the curio arena. Penthouse shifted gears and went on with the flow, compromising itself here and there just to survive the highly competitive market. It went online and somewhat dominated the market there.
Not with Playboy. It continues to be fixated with its old business model, which is crumbling against the weight of New Media and New Culture. Playboy failed to communicate with the new age, for one simple reason---it lost its edgy-ness.
In an era where everyone goes nude, Playboy has to re-discover its edgy-ness and again, shock the world, which it did fifty or so years ago. It has to re-imagine itself, and probably use the advantages of new media to create sensation.
Penthouse made the transition and avoided (or suspended) a fall-out. Playboy, however, is still trying to figure out what to do, and time is not on its side. Hugh is about eighty years old, a few years left in the life of the world's most popular lothario.
Can Hugh save his empire without selling it to Penthouse for US$ 210 million? I believe Playboy still has it, but it must rediscover what "it" means. I mean, Madonna is still relevant, still "in" despite being fifty-ish. Maybe Playboy should find its "inner soul" first before finally giving itself up to Penthouse.
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