I Only Buy It For The Articles

People often joke that they only buy Playboy for the articles. Although the magazine has lost some of the status it had during its peak during the latter part of the 20th century, the truth is that Playboy has intelligent and thoughtful content.

From the beginning, Hugh Hefner made sure that there was an emphasis on content as well as naked women.

The literary organization PEN USA honored the legendary publisher for “50 years of support for un-championed writers and of fighting censorship." Jamie Wolf, vice-president of PEN USA, notes that Hefner “published an extraordinary range of writers, serious literary writers who you were not otherwise getting when you went into the grocery store.”

Among those whose work he published were notable writers Joseph Heller (author of Catch 22), Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, Margaret Atwood and Jack Keruac.

Additionally, Playboy's interviews of important political figures have made history. Both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were interviewed during the 1960s. And during his candidacy for president in 1976, Jimmy Carter famously stated in his interview, "I've committed adultery in my heart many times."

So to emphasize this history, and poke fun at the "I only buy it for the articles" joke, Playboy South Africa gave its agency of record, Y&R, a special task.

Y&R said this in a press release:

"Y&R South Africa was briefed by Playboy SA to develop a print campaign to help shift perceptions about the magazine, reaffirming its position as being more than just a centerfold. Although the publication has always placed a significant focus on intelligent journalism, publishing iconic interviews and in-depth features, there has been an uninformed local myth that readers will only be exposed to pictures of naked women..."

What they came up with are these print ads. Beautifully shot, and full of the trademark Playboy humor, these ads get the point across perfectly.