Playboy Magazine Enters Georgia, Plans to Conquer Market
“We will never enter the market if we do not see that there is a potential to succeed and be the leader”
– Robert F. O’Donnell, Executive Vice President of International Publishing for Playboy Magazine
Fifty-three years after the first issue of Playboy Magazine appeared in 1953, Georgians can now read the magazine in their native language. On May 18, Georgia joined 23 other countries publishing nation-specific editions of the world-famous hedonistic men’s magazine. In celebration of Georgian Playboy’s debut, the magazine’s founders staged a parade of sexy teenagers in the streets of Tbilisi, which wrapped up with rocking show and jazz performance at the Night Office.
GT interviewed Robert F. O’Donnell, Executive Vice President of International Publishing for Playboy Magazine.
Q: Did you explore the Georgian market before taking on this project?
A: We require from our partners to study the market and to give us an assessment of the circulation potential, the readership potential and the advertising potential from the current year to the next five [years].
Q: What is your expectation?
A: Our expectation is to have the largest circulation and largest advertising revenues because the audience in Georgia will be of the highest quality.
Q: Do you believe that the project will be a success?
A: We would have never entered the market if we did not see potential to succeed and become a leader.
Q: In which ways do you think that Georgian Playboy will be different from others?
A: It will not be different in any sense other than the fact that it will be a Georgian magazine.It will be created by a Georgian staff and for Georgian readers. Playboy in Japan or Playboy in Argentina is intended for local people.
The Georgian Playboy will be Playboy’s 24th international edition which, according to O’Donnell, will follow magazine’s long-adopted simple philosophy: freedom – be it freedom of expression or freedom of lifestyle.
“[Our target audience] is a man who adores the life with all its aspects,” added Georgian Playboy Editor-in-Chief Niko Nergadze. “One part of the audience is the one chasing women. But not only this. This is a man who runs an active lifestyle.”
Nergadze says that since each international edition of Playboy is intended for a specific country, the magazine is different in each country. He assures us that Georgian Playboy will reflect Georgian specificities. The editorial team, which is comprised of Georgian staff, is ready to do its best to win hearts of Georgian men.
