COVID-19 has had a terrible ripple effect all over the world, including the legendary Playboy magazine.
Playboy: Part Of America's History
Playboy magazine has been a pillar in American print since Hugh Hefner began its creation in 1953, a men's lifestyle magazine centered on spreads of beautiful women. Countless famous authors have had their short stories featured in the magazine including Hunter S. Thompson, Arthur C. Clarke, Ursela LeGuin, and Margaret Atwood. Playboy has come with endless controversies but its brand has always had a powerful grip on pop culture.
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Only now the company is being forced to adapt its company and at least temporarily get rid of its original form. Although the company is still incredibly successful and has a stronghold in many forms of entertainment, even they have acknowledged that their physical print is not nearly as profitable anymore.
Playboy Magazine Adapts To Modern Times
"It’s no surprise that media consumption habits have been changing for some time–and while the stories we produce and the artwork we showcase is enjoyed by millions of people on digital platforms, our content in its printed form reaches the hands of only a fraction of our fans," CEO of Playboy Enterprises Ben Kohn stated in their Open Letter.
"Last week, as the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic to content production and the supply chain became clearer and clearer, we were forced to accelerate a conversation we’ve been having internally: the question of how to transform our U.S. print product to better suit what consumers want today," Kohn continued. The company has decided to stop production of the print magazine for the rest of 2020 and practically thinking, it will not return. The brand itself will continue and produce content, only digitally.
