At a time when content providers are being challenged to develop innovative ideas for reaching the broadest audience, Playboy (PEI) (NYSE: PLA, PLAA) announces the launch of INTERNS, a digital program developed, shot, and produced specifically for the mobile web. The series will be revealed today during UBS' 36th Annual Global Media Conference. INTERNS is Playboy's first original and self-produced, mobile-content series.
The mobile episodes offer a glimpse inside the fascinating world of Playboy, featuring three college interns from Playboy Enterprises' Fifth Avenue offices. Performing various day-to-day tasks are: Charlie Romano, 21, a St. John's University student from City Island, New York; Jonathan Golbe, 24, a Wesleyan University alumnae from Metuchen, New Jersey; and Ashley Taylor Rappaport, 20, a University of Delaware student from Marlboro, New Jersey.
"We are very excited to unveil INTERNS, one of many unique digital initiatives we have launched this year," stated Edward Lang, SVP and GM, Mobile and International Online, Playboy Media Group. "For more than a decade, Playboy always has been at the forefront of the digital space, with mobile being our most recent focus for best reaching our audience. By developing entertaining and original mobile content, we can target the coveted, 18 to 24 year-old demographic - as well as advertisers - anytime and anywhere."
INTERNS premiered, with great excitement, at advanced screenings for students at the University of Illinois, University of Southern California, and New York University. In September, teasers for the INTERNS series debuted at CollegeFest, the nation's largest trade-show festival, where students enjoyed exclusive screenings during "mobile matinees," months before the content was made available to the public.
"We wanted to ensure that the INTERNS program was not only entertaining but also relevant to this target demographic, which will drive students to engage with Playboy via their mobile phones," said Lisa Kolodny, Head of Youth Marketing, Playboy Enterprises, Inc. "We believe that the best way to do this was to screen the series for students at various campuses across the country and then compile their feedback."
For mobile viewing, INTERNS will be available via Playboy's WAP and iPhone sites, and distributed via its recently launched mobile "Playboy Audience Network" (mPAN), which includes the Quattro Wireless Network, mywaves and Zannel. Additionally, numerous wireless-network carriers will offer the series throughout North America. Next year, the mobisodes will be available internationally in Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. To view the trailer and learn more about INTERNS, visit (www.playboymobile.com).
INTERNS helps Playboy deliver more interactive experiences to its fans, while serving as a unique marketing and cross-promotional vehicle. Leveraging its best-selling monthly men's magazine, readers of the December issue -- which announces INTERNS -- are encouraged to take photos of the page's INTERNS logo with their phones. They then are instructed to send the shot to a shortcode in order to receive the behind-the-scenes series on their mobile phones. Leveraging its unique brand assets, Playboy Mobile included elements of its iconic properties including Playboy Playmates, Cyber Girls, "Rock The Rabbit" musical artists, and Playboy-licensed products. Additionally, the series attracted advertisers through product integration -- such as got2b's magnetik men's styling gel - of which the interns distributed samples to New York City pedestrians as one of their assignments.
About the Playboy Entertainment Group:
Playboy is one of the most recognized and popular consumer brands in the world. Playboy Enterprises, Inc. is a media and lifestyle company that markets the brand through a wide range of media properties and licensing initiatives. The company publishes Playboy magazine in the United States and abroad and creates content for distribution via television networks, websites, mobile platforms, DVD and radio. Through licensing agreements, the Playboy brand appears in more than 100 countries on a wide range of consumer products, entertainment locations and retail stores.