No shoes, no shirt, no iPod?

On February 14th (Valentine's day) the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue was released. This year, the issue took a very different turn. Although there were still nearly nude women on almost every page, musicians and music in general was highlighted. One of the most talked about photographs was of model, Marisa Miller being covered only by her Video iPod. Marisa's and the other models' playlists were featured in the magazine as well. Listed below is Marisa's playlist.

Marisa's Playlist
1. "Hole In The Earth" - Deftones
2. "Digital Bath" - Deftones
3. "Love Like Winter" - AFI
4. "Patience" - Guns N' Roses
5. "Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin
6. "Tangerine" - Led Zeppelin
7. "Pictures Of You" - The Cure
8. "Caring Is Creepy" - The Shins
9. "I Ran (So Far Away)" - A Flock of Seagulls
10. "King Without A Crown" - Matisyahu
11. "Empire" - Kaddisfly
12. "The Saints Are Coming" - U2 + Greenday

Although Apple has not admitted to paying for the placement, consumers and the industry alike are speculating. On the trend hunter website, many internet surfers posted their thoughts on the issue. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ipod-becomes-bikini-thats-hot/. An interesting fact pointed out on discussion boards is that the iPod is not even turned on. The screen is blank but the supermodel has the tiny white earbuds in her ears. If iPod paid for the placement, wouldn't they want their product on? Or is the image enough?

The brains behind Sports Illustrated were certainly right on track when coming up with this idea. I hadn't heard of this placement until reading blogs about it. I'm sure thousands of young males have been talking about it for weeks now. This product placement tells a story that the iPod is exciting and sexy. Everyone uses one. (Even naked supermodels). The photograph is eye-catching and provocative. It is a perfect match for the target market of young males.