It's not like using sex to sell is a new idea, but something about the popularity of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue keeps inviting brand innovation by the digital marketers at SI and Time Inc. 

For the 2012 edition, arriving in mailboxes, newsstands and tablets to eager readers this week, a couple of automakers are throwing some curves — in the form of promotions with their own bikini-clad models.

Lexus is running a campaign that matches the twists and turns in a depiction of a competitive driving course to the body curves of a swimsuit model. The objective: to spotlight the 2013 GS, the sporty sedan featured in the brand's Super Bowl ad and a key launch for Lexus's hopes of a sales comeback this year after last years's supply-chain woes. Previous swimsuit-issue model Tori Praver is the model in the Lexus campaign.Continue reading...

Time Inc. knows a cash cow when it sees one. And none are more bovinely bountiful (or bodacious) than the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, which hits newsstands today.

As Bloomberg TV notes, it's the Super Bowl of the publishing world, generating more than a billion dollars to date. It generates 7% of SI's annual revenue, and its readership — surprisingly — is 30% female, with its influence impacting bikini and swimsuit trends and sales.

It's naturally marketed to the hilt, getting a billboard in Times Square, a top ten list from David Letterman and reveal for the cover model (this year, Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend, Irina Shayk) plus a closing bell-ringing ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.

This year it's all about mobile, the basis for a new business model for SI — and potentially Time Inc.Continue reading...