Boy – David Letterman really knows how to keep the guys up after the news. On February 14, 2011 the top 10 was done by the Sports Illustrated swim suit models. This was one of Letterman’s best ideas yet to keep the public staying up a little late. Tho the model’s delivery was poor at best, they weren’t there to show their acting talents and they did their job perfectly. Also that evening, a giant billboard in Times Square unveiled the 2012 cover of Kate Upton as the newest addition to SI Swimsuit covers. I, like millions of others around the world, tuned in to Letterman and then purchased this issue of SII to check out the new swim wear designs and to see what lucky designers scantily cloth this year’s beauties.
Let’s start at the beginning with a really brief history – it is interesting and obviously not without some controversy.
In the winter of 1964, Sports Illustrated magazine was in its usual sales slump. So the editorial staff at SI decided to try something new. Fashion reporter Jule Campbell was chosen as SI’s first swimsuit editor and that changed the sport magazine for eternity.
Babette Marche, a model in a racy bikini was splashed across the cover for their new February issue and the very first SI swimsuit issue was a sellout. From this point on the swimsuit edition became an annual winter tradition, having sports fans by the millions were waiting by their mailboxes for its delivery and mail men spending a bit of their lunch time catching up on the latest in the sporty world of swimwear.
In 1983, SI rolled out its first swimsuit calendar. This was followed by a television documentary of Sports Illustrated's 25th Anniversary Swimsuit Issue. Over the next two decades, a compilation of videos, TV specials, trading cards, cell phone screen savers, and other secondary products have contributed to an additional $10 million in revenue. Ms. Campbell must be so proud.
In 1997, SI's swimsuit edition received special-issue status. It has since become the single best-selling issue in Time Inc.'s magazine franchise.
In 2005, the swimsuit issue brought in an estimated $35 MILLION in ad sales and today it generates 7 percent of Sports Illustrated's annual revenue, according to SI editor Terry McDonnell. The swimsuit issue isn't just a benefit to its advertisers — bikini and jewelry designers whose items are featured in the special issue also experience a major boost in sales.
Yep – here is yet another goal for Exposure Swimwear – a little hit in a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. We set our goals high and don’t plan on ever changing that.
The 2006 landmark "topless" cover featured models Veronica Varekova, Elle Macpherson, Rebecca Romijn, Rachel Hunter, Daniela Pestova, Elsa Benitez, Carolyn Murphy and Yamila Diaz. Inside, Heidi Klum was the featured photo spread and to keep it fairly legit as a sports issue, tennis pro Maria Sharapova also appeared. This cover may be a bit edgy but still done in great taste. 
The models have gone electronic! In February 2011, Sport Illustrated also began selling its first-ever digital subscription apps, available on Google Android, which coincided with the release of its swimsuit issue. This year, Sports Illustrated and Sony released a half-hour "Swimsuit in 3-D" video, exclusively for PlayStation 3 owners available through the PlayStation store.
During Jule Campbell’s 31-year reign from 1965 to 1996, Campbell transformed the publication from a daring little glossy section, featuring a few bikini-clad women into a commercial power house. Sports Illustrated can be credited with launching the era of the beach models, giving that all important break that boosted the careers of Tyra Banks, Christie Brinkley, Rachel Hunter, Elle Macpherson, Kathy Ireland and the many others who graced it’s cover.
Regular Sports Illustrated has more than three million subscribers and is read by about 23 million people a week. The swimsuit issue traditionally sells more than 1 million copies on newsstands. This year, the magazine features Kate Upton and sells for $6.99 per copy. Fortunately, fans no longer have to wait anxiously at their mailboxes for the hard copy, and enjoy almost instantaneous access to the swimsuit issue online - including model profiles, behind the scenes photo shoots and video clips, along with an entire archive of favorite editions.
A few things that you can look forward to
A little something hot for the ladies -
Fun with body paints -
wow-there is a big difference between the first white bikini and this wee bitty piece on Kate Upton...good post Exposure!
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