Playboy hopes the new ventures can offset a slump at the magazine, which has been hard pressed to compete with a proliferation of men's magazines and adult entertainment on the Web. Playboy is hoping its new mock-sleazy bunny outfit will help convey a more irreverent, aggressively youthful image as the company courts an 18-to-34-year-old hipster market for its consumer empire, which now encompasses not just Playboy magazine and its racy online counterpart, but a successful reality show on the E! Network, games and electronic entertainment, and a growing array of licensed products and apparel.
Staying ahead of the pack means attracting a new generation of consumers to the Playboy brand.
