Love it or hate it, there is no denying Playboy has become one of the most significant American lifestyle brands to have emerged in the past half-century. When Hugh Hefner launched the magazine in 1953, the post-war economy of the United States was at its zenith and the publication's smart mix of sexy women, entertainment and fiction tapped into a market of men eager to embrace the finer things in life as consumer culture took hold.
The same year that Playboy first hit the shelves was witness to several other milestones, both cultural and sexual: Alfred Kinsey, whom Hefner greatly admired, published Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female, which asserted that women were more sexually adventurous than society assumed; transvestite Christine Jorgensen became the first person widely known to have had successful reassignment surgery - from male to female; and the world met suave ladies' man James Bond for the first time, in Ian Fleming's debut novel, Casino Royale.
Fast-forward almost 60 years and the Playboy brand is enjoying something of a renaissance after a few disappointing decades. Although the magazine began losing sales in the late 1970s and has continued to do so ever since, Playboy clubs are set to open in London, Britain; Cancun, Mexico; and Miami, in the American state of Florida, following the launch of its first club in China, at the Sands Casino in Macau last month.
It's been a busy year for the bunny - it's the 50th anniversary of the first Playboy Club opening, which was celebrated at 50 parties in 50 cities. Bunnies old and new partied like it was 1963, when the club had more than 50,000 members. ('Bunnies' are waitresses who wear a costume called the bunny suit, inspired by the brand's tuxedo-wearing rabbit mascot and traditionally consisting of a corset, bunny ears, a collar, cuffs and a fluffy cottontail.)
Playboy remains the biggest-selling men's magazine in the US, with a circulation of about 2.5 million (and last year, a centrefold of cartoon housewife Marge Simpson briefly boosted its popularity). However, these days, the publication is more of a brand ambassador. Scott Flanders, who took over when Hefner's daughter, Christie, stepped down as chief executive last year, says the real money is being made from merchandising. And Asia is its biggest growth market, with sales on the continent predicted to reach US$20 million this year.
To announce its arrival in China, Playboy took the party to the Sands last month. At the bash, local celebrities Jessica Hester Hsuan, Michael Wong, Terence Yin Chi-wai, Patricia Cheong, Lisa S and Bonnie Gokson were handed keys to the club. The 12,000 sqft penthouse club features a lounge overlooking the Macau skyline, Playboy-inspired decor and artwork and private gaming areas. Live music and celebrity DJ sets keep the well-shod toes tapping.
The company hopes the exclusivity of the private gaming area will appeal to high rollers, while host Sands sees the live entertainment as providing an extra dimension to its casino.
