Playboy’s new work safe website

Today Playboy launched a new bloggy site that was billed as ‘safe for work’ because there aren’t any nipples.

Spoiler: it’s still pretty not safe for work. It’s also wicked boring and a huge missed opportunity.

Awhile back I posted a design concept for Playboy from a student that went for the simple road. The re-branding proposal (and I’ll try and find it if I can) focused on clean lines, a lot of white space, and focused on the more sophisticated and clever elements in the magazine. And it looked great.

The student’s approach is pretty much the opposite of The Smoking Jacket. The new site’s layout lacks uniqueness and even harks back to under-staffed pro-am sites from 2007. The branding is convoluted, and the content ambiguous and the photography unremarkable. And like a centerfold who needs her interests ghost written, The Smoking Jacket lacks an ounce of personality.

With the new competition from Maxium and FunnyorDie and, well, a lot of stuff, Playboy’s still reacting to their brand crisis, and reacting poorly.

Instead of responding by focusing on fundementals, the front office is retrenching in the path most followed, which doesn’t work any more. Do something, anything with the archives. Focus on the unique cartoons, the interivews (which could be its own tumblr), and editorial. Partner with Monocle or Crate another content provider and supply *their sites with photos w logos. And if another site launches, make it as niche as possible.