The Sun's move away from topless page 3 models may entice new advertisers

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jan/20/the-sun-topless-page-3-models-advertisers

The Sun’s decision to drop topless models from page 3 could lead to a boost in the tabloid’s advertising revenues, according to industry experts who said the nudity had put off a string of global brands from buying space in the paper.

Disney and Apple are among a group of major advertisers who had a policy – either official or “unwritten” – of not running display ads in the Sun, with page 3 being the main issue of contention.

Other companies that largely avoid adverts the Sun for brand perception reasons include John Lewis and Waitrose – despite a number of its major rivals doing so – and the French cosmetics giant L’Oréal.

“With some brands there is not just a single reason for not advertising in the Sun, it is about the whole tabloid issue per se,” said one senior media industry executive. “But for some, the scrapping of page 3 represents the removal of a major barrier to entry. Conversations that wouldn’t, or couldn’t, happen before might become possible.”

Last year the Sun made about £112m in display advertising across its Monday to Friday editions, which carried page 3 models, according to unofficial industry figures.