煙草在線據《哥倫比亞廣播公司金錢觀察》報道編譯　　據來自美國聯邦貿易委員會的最新數據顯示，近年來，美國頂級煙草公司在卷煙和無煙煙草產品廣告和促銷方面花費的資金更少。

　　9月21日周五公布的數據顯示，據可獲得的最新數據，與上一年同期相比，2010年卷煙營銷減少幅度超過了5%，降至80.5億美元。與此同時，同期卷煙銷量減少了約3%，降至2816億支。

　　在過去多年中，卷煙制造商支付的大部分資金，約81%，即64.9億美元，用于支付給零售商和批發商用于提供價格折扣，以降低出售給消費者的價格，因為在2010年每包卷煙的平均價格繼續增至5.73美元。在2009年，由于煙草產品聯邦稅收大幅增加，加上各州提高稅收，煙草產品的價格上漲。

　　2009年，美國食品和藥物管理局還被授權監管煙草業，包括進一步的市場限制，其中包括禁止煙草公司贊助體育、社會和文化活動或提供免費的樣品或品牌商品。其他幾種煙草營銷改變的方式被告到聯邦法院。

　　據最新數字顯示，無煙煙草產品上的營銷花費比2009年的降低了近10%，2010年降至4.442億美元，而銷售額增加了6.5%。在2010年煙草公司花了大約19%，即9500萬美元，用于批發商和零售商價格提供價格折扣，以降低向消費者提供的產品價格。煙草公司向還批發商和零售商賣出和送出的卷煙更少了。

　　在2008年，無煙煙草的廣告和促銷達到了5.479億美元的歷史新高，因為隨著增稅、禁煙、健康問題和社會無名使卷煙業務的開展更艱難，煙草公司尋求銷售增長的卷煙替代品。

　　據疾病控制和預防中心的數據顯示，美國煙民的比例自1970年以來大幅下降，從近40%，降至約20%。但是自大約從2004年以來，這種下降已經停滯，在美國，約有4600萬美國成年人吸煙。目前尚不清楚為什么情況沒有改變，一些專家認為這是因為煙草公司提供卷煙折扣券，以及阻止吸煙或幫助吸煙者戒煙的項目缺乏資金。

　　據最近的聯邦數據顯示，大約3.5%的美國成年人使用無煙煙草。

　　聯邦貿易委員會已經發布了自1967年以來的卷煙營銷報告，以及自1987年以來無煙煙草的類似報道。它是從包括：弗吉尼亞州里士滿的奧馳亞集團，萬寶路煙的生產商菲莫美國公司的母公司；北卡羅來納州溫斯頓塞勒姆的雷諾美國公司；位于北卡羅來納州格林斯博羅的羅瑞拉德公司(LO)；以及肯塔基州鮑靈格林的英國公司帝國煙草的子公司共同品牌公司的頂級煙草公司那里獲得的數據。

US: Tobacco Companies Spending Less on Promotion

　　The nation's top tobacco companies spent less money on advertising and promotion of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products in recent years, according to the latest data from the Federal Trade Commission.

　　Numbers released Friday show cigarette marketing decreased more than 5 percent to $8.05 billion in 2010, the latest year available, compared with a year earlier. Meanwhile, cigarette sales decreased about 3 percent to 281.6 billion cigarettes in the same period.

　　As in years past, much of the money spent by cigarette makers, about 81 percent or $6.49 billion, was for price discounts paid to retailers and wholesalers to reduce the price of cigarettes to consumers as the average price per pack continued to increase to $5.73 in 2010. Rising prices stemmed from a large federal tax increase on tobacco products in 2009, coupled with various state tax increases.

　　In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration also was given authority to regulate the industry, which included further marketing restrictions, including a ban on tobacco companies sponsoring athletic, social and cultural events or offering free samples or branded merchandise. Several other tobacco marketing changes are being challenged in federal court.

　　According to the latest numbers, money spent on marketing smokeless tobacco products decreased nearly 10 percent to $444.2 million from 2009 to 2010 as sales increased 6.5 percent. Companies spent about 19 percent, or $95 million, on price discounts to wholesalers and retailers in order to reduce prices to consumers in 2010. Tobacco companies also sold or gave away fewer cigarettes to wholesalers and retailers.

　　Smokeless tobacco advertising and promotion had reached an all-time high of $547.9 million in 2008 as tobacco companies look for cigarette alternatives for sales growth as tax hikes, smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma make the cigarette business tougher.

　　The share of Americans who smoke has fallen dramatically since 1970, from nearly 40 percent to about 20 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the decline has stalled since about 2004, with about 46 million adults in the U.S. smoking cigarettes. It's unclear why it hasn't budged, but some experts have cited tobacco company discount coupons on cigarettes and lack of funding for programs to discourage smoking or to help smokers quit.

　　According to the most recent federal data, about 3.5 percent of American adults use smokeless tobacco.

　　The Federal Trade Commission has issued reports on cigarette marketing since 1967, and similar reports on smokeless tobacco since 1987. It looks at data from the top tobacco companies including: Richmond, Va.-based Altria Group Inc. (MO), parent company of Marlboro maker Philip Morris USA; Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds American Inc. (RAI); Lorillard Inc. (LO), based in Greensboro, N.C.; and Commonwealth Brands Inc., the Bowling Green, Ky.-based subsidiary of the British company Imperial Tobacco (ITYBY). Enditem