Sex sells, but will 3-D sex sell better?
That's what the publishers of Miami-based Hip Hop Weekly Magazine are hoping as their first 3-D swimsuit calendar hits 30,000 retail locations nationwide.
"Print has sort of taken a beating in the business world. We want to bring excitement back to the print genre. We want to show that with some innovation, you can succeed." said Dave Mays, a co-publisher with Ray Scott.
Hoping to capitalize on the buzz of 3-D movies and television, the three-year-old biweekly hip-hop/pop-culture news and gossip magazine is experimenting with the 3-D swimsuit calendar. It's also adding "peek-a-boo" cover flaps -- flashy stunts that other magazines also are starting to add.
Playboy jumped on the trend in June with its first 3-D centerfold. And Rolling Stone sold a "peek-a-boo" cover edition in June, where the cover peeled away to reveal a smiling rapper Jay-Z.
"We're seeing a lot of this taking place now, where we're using technology to enhance the value of print," said Samir Husni, a University of Mississippi professor, better known in the industry as Mr. Magazine. "Technology made it possible for the costs to have dropped dramatically."
The Hip Hop Weekly calendar comes with red and blue paper glasses, packaged with a special swimsuit edition of the publication for $9.99. It will remain on stands several weeks longer than the regular issue that comes every 14 days for $3.99.
