What advertisers spend to get our attention.

• Position: GRAPH: MEDIA - Graph

As "Truth in Advertising?" (p. 8) explains, companies do whatever they can to get an edge over their competitors, including challenging the truth of rivals' ads in court. Advertising is one of the most important ways companies get the word out about their products, which is why they spend so much on it. In the first nine months of 2009, the 10 companies in this graph spent a total of $11.8 billion on advertising in the U.S., 6 percent less than during the same period in 2008, as the recession forced companies to cut back on their spending.

[GRAPHIC OMITTED]

The graph shows the 10 American companies that spent the most on advertising in the U.S. from January to September of 2009.

ANALYZE THE GRAPH

(1) Procter & Gamble spent $2.3 billion on advertising in the first three quarters of 2008. In the first three quarters of 2009, P&G's ad spending was --lower.

a 4 percent

b 11 percent

c 16 percent

d 22 percent

(2) After emerging from bankruptcy in July, General Motors boosted ad spending, and in the first three quarters of 2009 spent about 175 percent of what --spent on ads.

a General Electric

b Time Warner

c Pfizer

d AT&T

(3) The combined ad spending of the three companies involved in media was just under --the combined ad spending of the three telecommunications companies.

a one-half

b two-thirds

c three-fourths

d double

(4) The biggest advertiser spent an amount about equal to what the-- biggest advertisers spent combined.

a third and fourth

b fifth and sixth

c seventh and eighth

d ninth and tenth

(5) In the first three quarters of 2009, pharmaceutical companies spent about $3.5 billion on advertising; Pfizer accounted for approximately --percent.

a 10

b 15

c 25

d 40

ANSWER KEY

(1) [c]...