Lesson #1: Create a Powerful Brand
Lesson #1: Create a Powerful Brand
As a teenager, Hefner was an awkward student who often got rejected by girls. Determined to make more of his life, Hefner gave himself a makeover. Hefner’s success can largely be attributed to the character he created for himself to play in real life, that of a sophisticated, urban, young bachelor who was constantly surrounded by young, beautiful women. Hefner capitalized on this new notion of a bachelor that was becoming increasingly popular as he entered the business world.
With his silk pyjamas, four semi-nude models by his side, a martini in his hand, and the insistence that he work from bed, Hefner had created a mythical figure in himself. “It was something that I thought would be fun that would also work as a marketing ploy.” He has manufactured a lifestyle based on charm and fantasy, which has extended to his magazine and the Playboy empire as a whole.
Hefner is seemingly the ultimate bachelor, living a life of style, luxury and never-ending entertainment. Hefner always gets the girl, and anything else he wants too. The lounging, the drinks, the sex – they’re all part of the larger-than-life image of himself that he has created. And, that is the Playboy brand. His message is simple but genius: if you buy his products, you too can enjoy a life like him. “Before long, I’d become world famous,” says Hefner. “All that was quite a conscious decision.”
Like his lifestyle, Hefner’s magazine was meant to represent a combination of beautiful women, and sophisticated articles concerning fashion, music, literature and lifestyle. “I’ve never thought of Playboy, quite frankly, as a sex magazine,” says Hefner. “I always thought of it as a lifestyle magazine in which sex was one important ingredient.” Hefner was the living embodiment of his magazine. In this way, Hefner extended the concept of branding to his own character.
“As a company and a brand, Playboy is hotter than at any other time in our history,” says Hefner. “The brand is being embraced globally by young men and women.” This image of his fairy-tale lifestyle is a large part of the appeal of Playboy over other similar magazines. The 1970s witnessed the emergence of Playboy copycats, including Penthouse and Hustler. It was here where the sophistication and class that Hefner had tried hard to cultivate in both his image and his magazine became evident. When other magazines began pushing the limits of what could be shown in print, Hefner exercised restraint, wanting to distinguish himself as being in a class above the rest.
The importance of both creating a unique image, a unique appeal and spreading that image as far and wide as possible was not lost on Hefner. “We look for synergism in building our brand,” says Hefner. Indeed, the mythical lifestyle he has created represents the ultimate branding synergy.
Lesson 1 Create a Powerful Brand
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“The notion of the single man began in the 1950s,” says Hefner. “The idea of the bachelor as a separate life was new and obscure.”
As a teenager, Hefner was an awkward student who often got rejected by girls. Determined to make more of his life, Hefner gave himself a makeover. Hefner’s success can largely be attributed to the character he created for himself to play in real life, that of a sophisticated, urban, young bachelor who was constantly surrounded by young, beautiful women. Hefner capitalized on this new notion of a bachelor that was becoming increasingly popular as he entered the business world.
With his silk pyjamas, four semi-nude models by his side, a martini in his hand, and the insistence that he work from bed, Hefner had created a mythical figure in himself. “It was something that I thought would be fun that would also work as a marketing ploy.” He has manufactured a lifestyle based on charm and fantasy, which has extended to his magazine and the Playboy empire as a whole.
Hefner is seemingly the ultimate bachelor, living a life of style, luxury and never-ending entertainment. Hefner always gets the girl, and anything else he wants too. The lounging, the drinks, the sex – they’re all part of the larger-than-life image of himself that he has created. And, that is the Playboy brand. His message is simple but genius: if you buy his products, you too can enjoy a life like him. “Before long, I’d become world famous,” says Hefner. “All that was quite a conscious decision.”
Like his lifestyle, Hefner’s magazine was meant to represent a combination of beautiful women, and sophisticated articles concerning fashion, music, literature and lifestyle. “I’ve never thought of Playboy, quite frankly, as a sex magazine,” says Hefner. “I always thought of it as a lifestyle magazine in which sex was one important ingredient.” Hefner was the living embodiment of his magazine. In this way, Hefner extended the concept of branding to his own character.
“As a company and a brand, Playboy is hotter than at any other time in our history,” says Hefner. “The brand is being embraced globally by young men and women.” This image of his fairy-tale lifestyle is a large part of the appeal of Playboy over other similar magazines. The 1970s witnessed the emergence of Playboy copycats, including Penthouse and Hustler. It was here where the sophistication and class that Hefner had tried hard to cultivate in both his image and his magazine became evident. When other magazines began pushing the limits of what could be shown in print, Hefner exercised restraint, wanting to distinguish himself as being in a class above the rest.
The importance of both creating a unique image, a unique appeal and spreading that image as far and wide as possible was not lost on Hefner. “We look for synergism in building our brand,” says Hefner. Indeed, the mythical lifestyle he has created represents the ultimate branding synergy.
Lesson 1 Create a Powerful Brand
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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