I have been an observer of the Playboy brand in sl for more that a year now. I have been fascinated with how and why companies choose to have a SL component for exposure, sales and increased visibility throughout the SL world. The contract (which btw) was the only official island of Playboy. Many others paid a license fee to use the name within SL. There is much written on the rise of the brand within SL and now like many brands, the license was pulled from MSgiro Grosso and we see another brand disappear from SL sight. The Playboy island enjoyed success with broken records for their parties and events. My impression when I first attended was just another strip club feeding off the Playboy brand. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not a strip club. The bunnies were professional and brought great fun to the events and boosted the numbers by sheer entertainment. It became a place people wanted to be and be seen.This run is due in my opinion to the managers and bunnies that worked tirelessly to promote the island and the brand in a way that was not only classy and upbeat but by continuing to find new ways to entertain the Playboy VIP's.Watching the group grow leaps and bounds was evidence that they were doing something right. It was also my impression that there was little or no exposure to the man who claimed to have brought Playboy to SL, Mr. Grosso. I personally have never seen him on the island or heard of him until I investigated in the record of owner.I returned one day to find that the managers had turned over .. two quit and one was fired. The subsequent team that took over began to model the brand after other clubs in SL. Nudity was allowed and encouraged. It began to resemble a strip club in most aspects of operations. The classic bunny uniform was now transformed to resemble those seen in adult entertainment venues.The numbers dropped and it appeared that many stimulus pushes were tried in an effort to bolster the numbers to the island. It would appear that at some point , staff was advised that they would not be paid as they had been. They were expected to work for tips, which in sl can still be lucrative if the numbers are maintained. New content failed to rouse the crowds they had enjoyed under the previous management. Mr. Grosso lost the contract and now we see a spiral to the end. I have just received notice from another VIP that states ...Playboy Island will be closing on December 31st.. another valuable brand bites the dust in sl...playboy observer
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