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• FTC Releases Reports on Cigarette and Smokeless Tobacco Sales and Marketing Expenditures 

The amount spent on cigarette advertising and promotion by the five largest cigarette companies in the United States declined from $13.11 billion in 2005 to $12.49 billion in 2006, according to a report released today by the Federal Trade Commission. The largest spending category - spending on price discounts - fell from $9.78 billion in 2005 to $9.21 billion in 2006, but still accounted for nearly 74 percent of all marketing expenditures.

The number of cigarettes sold by those manufacturers to wholesalers and retailers declined from 2005 to 2006, while the number given away increased. Overall, the total number of cigarettes sold and given away declined from 354.6 billion in 2005 to 350.6 billion in 2006. A separate report on smokeless tobacco found that spending on advertising and promotion rose from $250.79 million in 2005 to $354.12 million in 2006. The dollar value of sales by the five largest manufacturers declined from $2.61 billion to $2.59 billion, and the number of pounds of smokeless tobacco sold declined from 116.2 million pounds to 115.82 million pounds.

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