Playboy's latest venture, "Playboy Passport," is a $10,000-per-year concierge service that offers access to VIP lounges, private jets, yachts, and exclusive reservations. And for those of you who are huge fans of the E! reality show "The Girls Next Door" (about Hef's matching trio of girlfriends), it looks like you might be able to actually snag access to photo shoots and Mansion parties--through "passport." Playboy has always sold the fantasy of a certain lifestyle, and nowit's selling greater access to it.
This follows on a long list of Playboy ventures. Since its magazine business has gotten slammed by, um, the Internet-- it's been expanding. There are a number of Playboy nightclubs around the world, with recent expansion into emerging markets like Russia. And there's tons of Playboy merchandise, from t-shirts, to diamond pendants that sell for thousands of dollars.
You'd never guess, but Playboy is actually quite similar to Disney . They both have something that no other diversified media company does-- a parent company brand name so strong they can plaster their name and logo on pretty much anything. Mouse or Rabbit--it's a logo that sells.
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