HP Offers Personalized Tattoos for iPods

An Apple iPod with HP Printable Tattoo (Photo: Business Wire)

2004-10-21 - Palo Alto, CA, USA: Digital music enthusiasts can now personalize the look of their Apple iPod from HP (NYSE:HPQ) (Nasdaq:HPQ) as easily as they customize their playlists with the launch of HP Printable Tattoos.

iPod owners can now visit www.hp.com/music and go to the tattoo gallery to create their own printable tattoos. People can import their personal digital photos or download exclusive tattoos designed by major music industry recording artists and award-winning designers.

U.S. consumers can buy the ultra-thin HP Printable Tattoos in selected retail stores, and they are also available online at hpshopping.com. The tattoos are sold in 10-packs of printable glossy paper that are pre-cut in the shape of the iPod and are easy to apply and remove from the player's exterior. They are durable and water resistant, which helps protect the Apple iPod from HP from scratches and scuffs.

"Now you can personalize your iPod inside and out to express your own unique style," said Allison Johnson, senior vice president, Corporate Marketing, HP. "With the new HP Printable Tattoos you can change the design as often and as easily as you update your playlists. Your iPod becomes a fashion statement -- a new way to express yourself."

In the U.S., HP Printable Tattoos are sold in the music accessory aisle for $14.99. They will be available this month at Amazon.com, Circuit City, CompUSA, Fry's, hpshopping.com, PC Mall and Radio Shack.

CompUSA will teach music enthusiasts how they can easily create and personalize their music players with the HP Printable Tattoos at CompUSA's Demo Days, taking place over the next month in most locations.

Also, while supplies last, hpshopping.com will give away free pre-printed samples of the HP Printable Tattoos to customers who purchase an Apple iPod from HP.

To enable music lovers to customize their tattoos, HP has launched an extension of its music site where anyone can download tattoo designs and the template for customizing their own. The new www.hp.com/music Web site will publish new tattoo designs from popular music artists, as well as unique tattoos created by leading graphic and fashion designers.

The site also will include the Apple iTunes top 10 list and a "most-downloaded" tattoo list. In addition, HP will debut fresh, exclusive content every month -- such as backstage interviews, artists of the month, celebrity personal playlists and tattoo designs.

HP also is working with Universal Music Group (UMG) to offer consumers access to the latest album art from major recording artists. To kick off the new tattoo gallery, designs are available from Gwen Stefani, The Cure, Keane, Lloyd Banks, Sting, The Who, The Hives and Vanessa Carlton.

Consumers got a first glimpse of the new tattoos when more than 1 million subscribers to Rolling Stone magazine received a free pre-printed tattoo sample in the Sept. 30 special issue: The 50th Anniversary of Rock. The tattoo samples featured the UMG artists which are now available online.

"Personalisation is a huge trend in the consumer market. People are customizing everything from their cell phones, to their shoes and even their cars," said Phil Leigh, president, Inside Digital Media. "HP tattoos are a way for iPod owners to make that personal statement about their portable music player."