- Apr 2, 2009
- 5,171
- 13,288
- 67
News Release
Contact: Bill Godshall
412-351-5880
smokefree@compuserve.com
FTC reports sharp decline in tobacco advertising and promotional expenditures
According to two new FTC reports http://ftc.gov/opa/2011/07/tobacco.shtm issued yesterday, advertising and promotional expenditures by large tobacco companies for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products declined by 18% from 2006 to 2008 (from $12.843 billion to $10.491 billion).
Nationwide cigarette advertising and promotional expenditures http://ftc.gov/os/2011/07/110729cigarettereport.pdf
declined 20% from 2006 to 2008 (from $12.49 billion to $9.94 billion) as cigarette consumption declined by 8% (from 350.5 billion in 2006 to 322.6 billion in 2008).
"This is very good news for public health," said Bill Godshall, executive director of Smokefree Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, the FTC reported that nationwide smokeless tobacco advertising expenditures http://ftc.gov/os/2011/07/110729smokelesstobaccoreport.pdf
increased 55% from 2006 to 2008 (from $354.1 million to $547.9 million) as smokeless tobacco consumption increased 3.6% (from 115.8 million pounds in 2006 to 119.9 million pounds in 2008), and as smokeless tobacco package sales increased 7% (from 1.214 billion units in 2006 to 1.297 billion units in 2008).
Increasingly more smokeless tobacco advertisements and promotions have been targeted towards cigarette smokers, encouraging them to switch to, or substitute smokefree alternatives. For the past eight months RJ Reynolds has run many advertisements urging cigarette smokers to switch to Camel Snus.
"Since cigarettes are 100 times deadlier than smokeless tobacco products, advertisements urging smokers to switch to smokefree alternatives benefit public health," said Godshall. "So the increase in smokeless tobacco promotional expenditures is not bad news as some anti-tobacco extremists will claim", added Godshall.
In 1999, US Congress prohibited smokeless tobacco companies from informing smokers that smokeless tobacco products are less hazardous than cigarettes. Several tobacco companies have sued the FDA claiming this provision violates their 1st amendment rights, and the case is being considered by a federal appeals court.
Since the companies are barred by law from informing smokers of the many health benefits of switching to smokeless tobacco, they've been marketing the products to smokers as alternatives when and where smoking isn't permitted.
Among smokeless tobacco products, consumption of moist snuff continued its decades long increase, while chewing tobacco consumption continued its century long decline. Dry snuff sales increased in 2008 for the first time many decades. Meanwhile, 2008 was the first year the FTC reported data for snus, a pasteurized spitfree product that has been used for decades in Sweden, where sales have surpassed cigarettes, as 25% of male smokers quit by switching to snus.
Contact: Bill Godshall
412-351-5880
smokefree@compuserve.com
FTC reports sharp decline in tobacco advertising and promotional expenditures
According to two new FTC reports http://ftc.gov/opa/2011/07/tobacco.shtm issued yesterday, advertising and promotional expenditures by large tobacco companies for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products declined by 18% from 2006 to 2008 (from $12.843 billion to $10.491 billion).
Nationwide cigarette advertising and promotional expenditures http://ftc.gov/os/2011/07/110729cigarettereport.pdf
declined 20% from 2006 to 2008 (from $12.49 billion to $9.94 billion) as cigarette consumption declined by 8% (from 350.5 billion in 2006 to 322.6 billion in 2008).
"This is very good news for public health," said Bill Godshall, executive director of Smokefree Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, the FTC reported that nationwide smokeless tobacco advertising expenditures http://ftc.gov/os/2011/07/110729smokelesstobaccoreport.pdf
increased 55% from 2006 to 2008 (from $354.1 million to $547.9 million) as smokeless tobacco consumption increased 3.6% (from 115.8 million pounds in 2006 to 119.9 million pounds in 2008), and as smokeless tobacco package sales increased 7% (from 1.214 billion units in 2006 to 1.297 billion units in 2008).
Increasingly more smokeless tobacco advertisements and promotions have been targeted towards cigarette smokers, encouraging them to switch to, or substitute smokefree alternatives. For the past eight months RJ Reynolds has run many advertisements urging cigarette smokers to switch to Camel Snus.
"Since cigarettes are 100 times deadlier than smokeless tobacco products, advertisements urging smokers to switch to smokefree alternatives benefit public health," said Godshall. "So the increase in smokeless tobacco promotional expenditures is not bad news as some anti-tobacco extremists will claim", added Godshall.
In 1999, US Congress prohibited smokeless tobacco companies from informing smokers that smokeless tobacco products are less hazardous than cigarettes. Several tobacco companies have sued the FDA claiming this provision violates their 1st amendment rights, and the case is being considered by a federal appeals court.
Since the companies are barred by law from informing smokers of the many health benefits of switching to smokeless tobacco, they've been marketing the products to smokers as alternatives when and where smoking isn't permitted.
Among smokeless tobacco products, consumption of moist snuff continued its decades long increase, while chewing tobacco consumption continued its century long decline. Dry snuff sales increased in 2008 for the first time many decades. Meanwhile, 2008 was the first year the FTC reported data for snus, a pasteurized spitfree product that has been used for decades in Sweden, where sales have surpassed cigarettes, as 25% of male smokers quit by switching to snus.
Last edited:
