When Playboy announced that it will halt publishing fully nude photographs of women in its United States print edition by March 2016, many people were not surprised. The move was considered long overdue.
The magazine announced that beautiful women in provocative, sexy, poses, but not totally naked, will continue to be featured in the Playboy print edition.
Plunging circulation and declining advertising revenues were problems faced by the magazine over the past several years.
Loss of readership to online sites featuring naked women, as well as innovative competitors with both print and online versions, signaled the need for change. The magazine, author David Rensin noted, needed to keep abreast with the times.
Samir Husni, director of the magazine innovation center at the University of Mississippi, said the public's perception of what Playboy is will be hard to dispel. As long as the publication's name is Playboy, any steps undertaken may not be of much help.
The very brand that catapulted Playboy to success, since it represented the rebel spirit of founder Hugh Hefner, is also the very thing that is hurting it now, The New York Times reported.
Other lifestyle publications that spell fun and strive to offer good content are creating formidable competition. Maxim, for instance, recently revamped and re-launched to adopt a classier feel. It seeks to hook readers gravitating to magazines like Esquire and GQ.
In other news, one magazine featuring sports personalities in various stages of undress continues to thrive with a strong brand message.
ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue highlights not just the human form but the achievements of male and female athletes who push their bodies to the limit.
Celebrated athletes that were featured on the cover of ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue include Serena Williams, Hope Solo, Ronda Rousey, Colin Kaepernick, Chantae McMillan, and many others.
Featuring athletes' nude bodies that convey strength, power, and beauty all at once is a formula that worked well. Being in topnotch physical condition tends to inspire many people, and that is what the magazine succeeded in doing, TIME magazine reported.
As for Playboy, the end of full nudity may signal either the end or better times ahead. Interestingly, when the magazine banned totally nude photos from its website back in August 2014, the number of monthly visitors soared.