Tobacco Documents Online

The Tobacco Record, July, 1968 Excerpts of the FTC Report The Federal Trade Commission report to Congress released re- centliy, cite& an increase in cigarette advertising outlays in 1967 com- pared with previous years. The expenditures for cigarette advertising in~ 1967 totaled $312 million, an increase of $14 million over 1966. Of the total advertising, about 73% ($226.9 million) was expended in television~; print media, newspapers and magazines combinedy account- ed for $41.2 million, a decline from the previous year; and radio ad- vertising amounted to $17.5 million in 1967, down from $31.5 million in the previous year. The commission appeared to be concerned with the increased ex- posure of cigarette advertising. It listed an exposure rate of 10,479; 999,000 (number of broadcasts per month times audience per broad- cast) from its network programs in January, 1968 compared withi 9,1~75,600,000 in the same month, 1966. FTC also indicated 2,810,860,- 000 exposures from spot advertising in January 1968 compared with 2,540,790,000 in January 1966. FTC had nothing favorable to say of the industry's efforts of self-policing with respect to advertising. On the other hand it praised the efforts of those responsible for the anti-cigarette ads over the air. A substantial portion of the FTC report related to the subject of "influencing public opinion". The agency indicated that the indus- try discouraged the display of the commission's 'tar' and nicotine Ftudy findings, particularly in chain food and chain drug stores. It also mentioned! the efforts of industry spokeamen to halt use of U. S. Mail trucks as media for anti-smoking messages. The FTC appeared to be irked about the publicity obtained by a True magazine story and' the widespread reprint mileage obtained thereon. 0 (6)