Since its launch in April, Playboy South Africa has been through a lot. Editor-in-chief Charl du Plessis talks South Africa Magazine through some recent changes, why South Africans are embracing the brand, and outlines ambitious plans for the future.

By Ian Armitage

Since its glamorous, headline-grabbing launch in April, Playboy South Africa's path has been rocky to say the least.

Former editor Pieter Piegl’s announced his resignation via Twitter.

There was controversy surrounding cover girl Crystal Arnold’s skin-tone.

At one point, there were even rumours that the title was about to shut down.

However, Playboy South Africa seems to have put all this behind it, and according to new editor-in-chief, Charl du Plessis, the magazine has a bright future.

“I think there is a necessity for a magazine like Playboy locally,” he says. “We offer readers engaging, thoughtful and provocative content.

“Opportunities far outweigh the challenges.”

Since the inception of Playboy in 1953, editorial content of the highest quality has been an essential part of the magazine's philosophy. The South African edition continues that tradition, with a strong and predominantly local flavour.

But it is challenging.

“There are massive misconceptions in South Africa about Playboy. Because Playboy entered the market post-94 at the same time as some smut magazines, an association stuck. We do not do pornography and draw a very clear distinction between nudity and pornography. But, people need to be informed of that.

“We encounter a lot of female decision-makers in the media and marketing industry who impose their own, rather than their clients’ values and have a lack of understanding of what a massive phenomenon the magazine is for men.

“We are of course the world’s best known men’s magazine brand, which has achieved a lot in 57 years, and we have a strong social voice; we’ve been in the vanguard of the fight for some of the rights people take for granted today, including reproductive rights for women, civil rights, freedom of speech and more.

“Of course, we working on these misconceptions and the best way to remedy it is for people to read the magazine and decide for themselves. Playboy is not glorified pornography; we do not publish any pornography and only do very tasteful nudity.

“The truth is that Playboy is so much more than just a pretty face. It’s a movement; an attitude; and a way to live in the world. The typical Playboy reader is intelligent and we regularly publish up to 3,000-5,000 word features, despite the fact that other titles seem to be running progressively shorter pieces.

“Our content is thought provoking and encourages debate, and for good measure we’ve even dropped in some fiction by Nobel Prize winners too. Since I took over, I have engaged with some of the sharpest minds and most respected members of our society – people like Zapiro, Andre Brink, Dr Ian Player, and many more. A famous South African cartoon character, Eve, has graced our cover - she was the 'Playmaid of the Year'. Also on the cover were Gwen Anderson and Mother Anderson, both household names in South Africa.

“We have also dropped the word ‘girl’ from the magazine, replacing it with ‘woman’ or ‘model’ depending on the context.

“Reader feedback pointed us, first of all, to the fact that people felt it didn’t have a strong enough local voice. Secondly, it didn’t have enough well known South Africans amongst those voices. We’ve changed that.”

Playboy is making great strides in breaking out its stereotypical box and, naturally, du Plessis is optimistic about the future.

“We experience daily how, once people really get what this brand is all about, they rally behind us with serious intensity and passion. Our Facebook post views exceeded 870,000 last month, our Twitter reach exceeds 300,000 and our fan base grows every day. Our parties are selling out, our advertising sales are growing, the media is tracking our every move with interest, and we have the best writers on-board.

“The passion for this brand out there is incredible. Every person I have sat down with wants to tell me exactly what the mag should look like and what they love about it.

“We are only just beginning. Imagine what we will look like a year from now.”

Icon is an overused word, but in some cases -- as with a certain, famous silhouetted bunny -- the term is heartily warranted.

“In terms of our future, our approach is 360 engagement of audience not just readers. It includes all the platforms, and we are doing some daring things,” du Plessis concludes.

Learn more about Playboy by visiting www.playboy.co.za.

Image: Getty