PLAY BOY REBRANDING
A family of products specially designed for exploring the 5 senses and a product strategy system to bring a Playboy 3.0 rebranding.
A family of sensory objects designed to level up a dying brand for a modern generation of users
Process
PEBBLES BY PLAYBOY
PEBBLES BY PLAYBOY
A Quick History
Bunnies, Jets, Mansions, Magazines … Playboy in it’s heyday was the premiere example of what sophistication should look like. But today, Play boy is struggling to prove it’s not just a simple nudey-mag with a shady past.
Playboy is a brand that needs a redesign that feels more genuine than it’s previous try. A change that ignored the essence of playboy and attempts to rewrite their own history and user base instead of identifying their strengths and paving a path forward. But to do that we have to first understand Playboy’s history from the start.
Original Target Audience
In Playboy’s original era they targeted educated Middle-aged American men.
In Playboy’s current era they target millennial artistic feminists.
Shifting Interests
The circulation of the men’s Lifestyle and entertainment magazine has dropped significantly in recent years.
Playboy reached a peak of 5.6 Million subscribers a year in 1975. Today, the magazine has a circulation under 500,000 and publishes six issues a year.
Redefining Stigma
Today, with the death of the Heff, Playboy has undertaken their first steps to re-brand their image. Emphasis on equality and more photo-artistry directions in their spreads.
However their inconsistency and slow speed to transition to modern reading formats has since put the publication in danger of failure.
The first brand strategy shift
Instead of ignoring the user base of previous years and replacing them with a more visible base in today’s mainstream, it would be better to analyze how that user base has evolved in modern times. With increasing sensitivity to body autonomy and sexuality, the “intelligent middle class man” has most directly transformed into an enlightened and sensitive heterosexual who has desires but lacks the language and understanding of himself to express that sexuality in todays world of identity explosion.
But wait! There’s more!
I won’t bore you with the details but if you would like to see the full research please click the link above
Introducing target user
What are Michael’s main problems?
Shifting the narrative
The original Playboy filled a hole in society where sexuality was in short supply. However in today's world the opposite is true : sexuality is a main driving force in our market.
Intimacy is now the new hole in today's society. While we have platforms geared towards meeting people (think, tinder) the actual exploration of real intimate connections is a mystery. So, how can Playboy aid the discovery of personal intimacy? My answer is to use the five senses as a guide.
Ideation
Now, for the fun part! I wanted to bring Playboy into the digital era with a phone app feature but what about a product to help elevate the brand as well? Currently Playboy is most relevant in fashion products with licensing deals, but what if they had a proprietary line of products to bring back a sense of exclusivity?
It's not sex, its sensual ... A stimulating journey for all the senses while focusing on an intimate experience
Final Direction
Article Examples
A Robust App
As a magazine renowned for having content as stimulating as it's visuals, I gave Playboy a modern twist by finally bringing it digital. This app flow is based on the idea that Monday through Friday each day of the week is themed to one of the five senses culminating in a weekend focusing on intimacy. Articles retain the same renowned depth as lauded from Playboy's previous fanbase while becoming relevant to the digital world of today.
Complimentary
Products
Every month, VIP members of the app are entered in a raffle. The winners get a tailored limited edition family of products inspired by them and content in the magazine for that month personalized for that user and where they live.
For example, Michael Gibbons as my target persona lives in Santa Monica. Because of this the form language appears similar to sea glass and the app's content for the day relating to taste would be reviews of Santa Monica restaurants.
Lasting
Impressions
Key Values and Benifits
Pebbles is a collection that grows with it's user. It's core brand strategy is to release different versions of the collection themed by location for a specific targeted user. These collections are also available to general users by purchase.
For Michael, who is a resident of the Bay Area, this first Pebble family is inspired by sea glass and teaches what adult intimacy is all about.
Pebble is not a sexual collection, it is an encouragement to explore one's senses and discover what personal intimate tastes the user favors. As they learn more or add to their collection with future product lines, the user grows their personal library of intimate explorations.