Playboy

[m0rph3us]

From CNN:

Playboy's Web sites have not yet made a profit, although the company is projecting its first online profits before the end of 2002. Revenues in the fourth quarter of 2001 were up 18 percent to $7.7 million, the company said. But Wired magazine reported that Playboy's online operations have lost $50 million in the past two years and intend to reach profitability partially by launching a mobile phone picture service called Mobile Playmate of the Month. Playboy also is wagering that its online casinos will help it cash in on the Web.


Kinda strage to see that such a massive site with a large offline customer base (Playboy mags can spam their URL to 3.1Mil people each month) cannot turn a profit while glue and tape type sites can rake some serious cash in. Either PB's online management is severely inexperienced, or it proves that porn is an impulse buy.

Maybe Adult.com's involvement will change this.


Article on Hefner here:
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/peop...r/profile.html

[Pete]

Lensman can and will turn it into a goldmine. Watch and see.

[Pornwolf]

I'm really rooting for Lens on this one!

[playa]

Thats what happens when big companies hire these so called
"online experts" you know the same ones that turned all the dot com failures,

the porn game was completely different, no doubt lensman will make it huge. i predict that the online site will make the most money out of all their different ventures

[Sambuka]

Thats the problem with these HUGE ass companies, they come on the scene, and are always late at joining the game, christ playboy could of OWNED half of the online porn biz already if they had payed close attention to what was happening back in 1995-1996. They had the money to just PUMP into online porn to buy servers for live shows, like IEG did. They had the content and the money to hire programmers to build awesome affilate programs and have there own merchant accounts.

What you have to realize is this, BIG companies are usaully not at the for front of new ideas and systems like the Internet. Something new comes along and playboy is already turning a nice profit and thinks "well yes I guess we will hire some expensive experts and get them to make some websites and scan some photos and advertise on our mag a bit, that should turn a profit and add to our already large profits.

While everyone else is thinking (Hey the Internet is easy to make money, start small run the business on a shoe string until some money starts coming in and then build up from there on the profits, learn everything there is about the internet and online porn and watch closely every big player and any news thats happening around on the net for new ideas and things to sell.)

Shit I started my business with a 28k modem in my upstairs bedroom at my mums house and lets just say I purchase my first house Cash ;-)

God bless the internet & Long live Online PORN!

Sammy

[Tipsy]

I was reading an article recently about playboy's online company. It seems they layed off 50 staff from it. What the fuck were they doing with 50 extra staff in the first place? Easy enough to see why they lose money.

[FlyingIguana]

with all the private companies that run pretty much on cash flow, i can't see how playboy hasn't made a profit yet online.

[tony286]

I think also magazine and print success doesnt equal web success.

[cherrylula]

I thought Playboy was going to go less adult and more mainstream?

[Spoonie Luv]

Originally posted by Tipsy
I was reading an article recently about playboy's online company. It seems they layed off 50 staff from it. What the fuck were they doing with 50 extra staff in the first place? Easy enough to see why they lose money.

Yep, that's why. Too much payroll expense.

[boneprone]

No Cherrylula, Playboy said they want to evolve thier publication to be more mainstream like other highly profiting publications FHM and Maxium. They never told the whole story!

What they have yet to annouce pubically is their deal with adult.com and their move in the online realm.

So you see Playboy is finally opening thier eyes.
Everyone knows that the adult market isnt in publications, its in the online market. No one buys playboy mags in the stores anymore.. People buy FHM and Maxium.

IF Playboy is doing what I think they are doing in that they are adapting to the times, evolving thier publication to be more mainstram into what sells, and evoloving thier adult online where porn actually makes profits, they are heading in the right direction.


With Playboys name recogintion, quality and reputation along with adult.com's marketing power of online media and the boneprone family backing the whole damn thing into saturation
this should be huge!!

HInt: the ticker symbol is PLA

[boneprone]

Think im kidding?

THink about it.
I shouldnt have to spell it out.

THis will be huge.

[boneprone]

It would be even more huge if Lens expanded his PR branch of his company to Portland.

[Bobo]

Playboy = Dinosaur

[boneprone]

Bobo = idiot

[nocostporn]

you're all sheep,the downfall is near!

[Socks]

Playboy wouldn't even give us 2 sample images to use in promoting their website, on a page they can see live already, with no affiliate program. I was told no twice! I recommend their employees go through basic thinking, problem solving, deduction and simple decision making lessons before doing any more work.

[m0rph3us]

Originally posted by Socks
Playboy wouldn't even give us 2 sample images to use in promoting their website, on a page they can see live already, with no affiliate program. I was told no twice! I recommend their employees go through basic thinking, problem solving, deduction and simple decision making lessons before doing any more work.

I agree.

[boneprone]

you do know that the program hasnt even launched yet right?

And this adult.com Venture is NEW, not a promotion of the old product you speak of and had problems with right?

[frankfortuna]

I agree that Playboy has some catching up to do if they intend to become more mainstream. I personally would choose magazines such as Maxim over Playboy for a casual read.

[boneprone]

exactly.
Im glad you agree with me.

Wait and see.

[Bobo]

Boneprone get it through your thin skull. Playboy is dead, it has been for years now.

Adult material has taken a different direction than the dinosaur. The damages to the Playboy image are irreprable. It's show over. To come back now is like seeing a dinosaur erect it's ugly head again. Nobody wants it.

I don't mean to be negative but that's life.

Time for new things, not rehashing the old tired Playboy bullshit.

[frankfortuna]

I've always wondered if the channel they syndicate via cable and satellite is a profit center or more of a liability. It must cost a small fortune to maintain such an outlet.

[pimplink]

Hustler online is doing well... barely legal and other sites.

Its all how you mold your brand and content base to an online market. It really boggles the mind how PB can lose $50M on its online porn ventures when guys ROUTINELY turn $1K worth of content into rebills worth over $300K a year.

[frankfortuna]

I have one other comment on the subject. Not knowing much about the softcore market, I assume from my own experiences that online consumers of porn are more inclined to purchase hardcore. Having said that, Playboy has a large obstacle to overcome given their branding is clearly associated with softcore content.

[Pipecrew]

Originally posted by frankfortuna
I have one other comment on the subject. Not knowing much about the softcore market, I assume from my own experiences that online consumers of porn are more inclined to purchase hardcore. Having said that, Playboy has a large obstacle to overcome given their branding is clearly associated with softcore content.

I totally agree,

[m0rph3us]

Originally posted by pimplink
Hustler online is doing well... barely legal and other sites.

Hurstler is hardcore though and playboy is softcore.

[kaylacam]

Originally posted by Pete
Lensman can and will turn it into a goldmine. Watch and see.

So...when will we see/read the Lensamn Interview in PB?
I offer to be Lensman's arm candy for that!

[boneprone]

Amateur Pages is Softcore content and it does ok from what I hear....

[cherrylula]

That is awesome. Yeah I think somehow Playboy would do better if it could be sold as a more mainstream mag.

It sounds like ole Hef finally realized the serious pornographers of the future are internet pornographers, obviously. No doubt their teaming with Adult.com is magnificent.

PLA, nice.

[Bobo]

Originally posted by boneprone
Amateur Pages is Softcore content and it does ok from what I hear....

That's an excellent point.

I think maybe the only difference is that Amateur Pages focuses on real amateurs and Playboy has always been more about professional models or actresses and the like.

It'll be interesting to see what Adult.com and Hugh do with the new program.

[pimplink]

Originally posted by boneprone
Amateur Pages is Softcore content and it does ok from what I hear....

There's tons of predominantly softcore outfits that do real well besides AP... Oliver Klozov, MacAndBumble, ALSScan, etc etc

Its not necessarily the niche, its marketing strategy. The Web is TOO BIG for one company to market itself directly, it has to make affiliates of the countless webmasters who have traffic from differing parts of the net...

email traffic
tgp / free site/ link list traffic
software driven traffic
spammy traffic [I hate to say it but its true]

etc. I still can't believe it though $50M lost.... shit, some of the bigger sites out there spent FRACTIONS of that to make millions. What a waste.

[boneprone]

What a better time for them to hook up wiht Adult.com ehhh?

Wait and see.

[andi_germany]

It might just be strategy to make a loss. They are a big corporation and therefore having a branch making losses saves them some taxes.

The direct marketing is the problem. Reading the magazine and thinking 'cool i can check out their website' then walking to the kitchen to get a beer, walink to the computer and thinking 'what site did I just want to check out? damn i forgot well lets take that bookmarked porn site' is the way it workes.
If playboy would offer an affiliate prog they would have affiliates in a heartbeat and make millions form month one on. But thats the problem if you think you have a product and the surfer will come anyway.

[nocostporn]

going to be sad when Len's cost Hef the mansion,the downfall is approaching my friends! You're no longer safe

[Bree]

Originally posted by Tipsy
I was reading an article recently about playboy's online company. It seems they layed off 50 staff from it. What the fuck were they doing with 50 extra staff in the first place? Easy enough to see why they lose money.

One to make coffee,
One to pour coffee,
One to add sugar,
One to add cream,
One to stir,
Oh wait? don't like coffee.. call the other guy in to make tea...
One to boil water...

and so forth....

[SykkBoy]

Originally posted by frankfortuna
I have one other comment on the subject. Not knowing much about the softcore market, I assume from my own experiences that online consumers of porn are more inclined to purchase hardcore. Having said that, Playboy has a large obstacle to overcome given their branding is clearly associated with softcore content.

three words: legal celeb content ;))))))

Lens, please tell us Playboy will spin off a site just with celeb nudes ;)

[UnseenWorld]

Originally posted by m0rph3us
From CNN:

Playboy's Web sites have not yet made a profit, although the company is projecting its first online profits before the end of 2002. Revenues in the fourth quarter of 2001 were up 18 percent to $7.7 million, the company said. But Wired magazine reported that Playboy's online operations have lost $50 million in the past two years and intend to reach profitability partially by launching a mobile phone picture service called Mobile Playmate of the Month. Playboy also is wagering that its online casinos will help it cash in on the Web.


Kinda strage to see that such a massive site with a large offline customer base (Playboy mags can spam their URL to 3.1Mil people each month) cannot turn a profit while glue and tape type sites can rake some serious cash in. Either PB's online management is severely inexperienced, or it proves that porn is an impulse buy.

Maybe Adult.com's involvement will change this.


Article on Hefner here:
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/peop...r/profile.html

Playboy is stuck in time. It's an old man's magazine (and as I write this, I'm 55). Most of the readers probably can't even program a VCR.

[boneprone]

haters...

Open your eyes.

The Messiah has Return.

And you reject him??

Burn in hell.

[frankfortuna]

Boneprone, the Messiah you speak of is Hugh? This concerns me deeply, as you often speak of Jesus who non-jews consider to be the Messiah.

Please help me find the answers to my questions.

[Big E]

For all of you who think that there's no money in softcore, just look at a site like Mac and Bumble.

There's a lot of money to be made with Playboy but they've got to overcome the obstances they've put up for themselves. Frankly, I'm inclined to believe they can't do it (sorry Lens).

[Exxxotica]

Originally posted by UnseenWorld


Playboy is stuck in time. It's an old man's magazine (and as I write this, I'm 55). Most of the readers probably can't even program a VCR.

What is a VCR?

[RedShoe]

Originally posted by UnseenWorld


Playboy is stuck in time. It's an old man's magazine (and as I write this, I'm 55). Most of the readers probably can't even program a VCR.

55, lookin' at, and jerkin off to 18 year olds. I can't wait.

[Bobo]

...and from what I heard (maybe wrong), Playboy was considering becoming even more softcore...that is, less nudity altogether and featuring more articles than pictures. If that is remotely true, then they might as well throw in the chips now.

[ADL Colin]

Two words. Razor Magazine.

Did anyone else see RB's pimpin' picture in last month's issue?