This modern commercial strategy is a fascinating case study in brand monetization. By 2025, Playboy had become a licensing juggernaut. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, the company reported a , reaching $12.0 million. This business model now includes lucrative deals for consumer products, location-based entertainment, and strategic pivots into new markets, including China. In one such deal, a local partner paid $20 million annually in licensing fees to use the rabbit logo.

In 1973, a researcher at the University of Southern California was frustrated with the dull, standard test images available for his image-processing algorithms. Looking for a picture with a human face, a glossy finish, and "interesting textures," one of his colleagues walked into the lab with the November 1972 Playboy . They ripped the top 5.12 inches of the photo, scanned the 512 x 512-pixel section of Lena's face and hat, and discarded the nude portion. The resulting image, known as "Lena" (or "Lenna"), became for decades. It was instrumental in the development of JPEG, the most common image format on the internet today, earning Lena the nickname "The First Lady of the Web."