playboy_coverCHICAGO – The Manual of Ideas, an investment firm that publishes the Downside Protection Report, has included Playboy Enterprises on its list of The Top 12 Distressed Brands Likely to Survive, a positive spin on a recent Seeking Alpha post that listed the Top 12 Brands Likely to Disappear.

Actually, the iconic adult brand is #1 on the list of troubled companies with a bright future. “The brand is owned by Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA), which also owns the

Playboy Mansion, a unique real estate propery in Bel Air, California. Playboy is much more than a publishing business, with future value likely to come primarily from brand licensing. The latter is already a significant and growing generator of operating income. The company needs to reposition itself as a lifestyle company rather than a publishing business.”

Other companies on the Manual of Ideas list include American Express, Zale Jewelry, Steinway & Sons, Sears, Sotheby’s and The New York Times, not the most negligible of quality brands. Playboy, however, is the only adult-related company on the list.