Playboy Enterprises likes to put its name and trademark bunny-head logo on products. Get ready for a supplement on which you can nibble the ears. At its second-quarter earnings call on Aug. 4, the president of the licensing division told investors, “Before year-end, we expect to add yet another new product category, nutriceuticals [sic]. We recently signed a deal for a nutriceutical [sic] product which we expect to see in the market before year-end.”

Alex L. Vaickus told analysts on the conference call that Playboy had recently labeled an energy drink via a licensing agreement. That product was being rolled out in the United States and introduced to other countries.  That followed the launch of Codi, a branded fragrance for which a body spray is coming.

What vitamins does Hugh Hefner want to promote? None of the analysts on the phone with Playboy execs asked that question. The analysts were more concerned with a possible takeover, the company’s long-term viability, and video on demand.  No one asked about the energy drinks, either. CirTran Beverage Corp. makes the beverages in regular and sugar-free flavors in 8- and 16-ounce sizes. According to the Playboy drink site, the “proprietary formula contains ginseng root, guarana extract and damiana leaf, ingredients that are believed to stimulate energy levels.”

Details on the Playboy nutraceutical are harder to come by. The licensing division reported that second quarter income fell 22 percent from the same quarter a year before, due largely due to the global recession. The earnings news release did not specify a new product, but said that the company was developing new product categories. Vaickus came to Playboy from ConAgra Refrigerated Foods and before that was with Sara Lee.

About Joel Rothman

Joel B. Rothman represents clients in intellectual property infringement litigation involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, defamation, trade libel, unfair competition, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and commercial matters. Joel’s litigation practice also includes significant focus on electronic discovery issues such as e-discovery management and motion practice relating to e-discovery.