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How much do all those iPod commercials cost?

It's a bundle. Apple Computer spent $287 million on advertising in its last fiscal year, up nearly 40 percent from the $206 million it spent a year earlier. And the company spent $193 million in the year before that, according to its annual report, filed Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The ad spending, though significant, is far less than the billions of dollars spent each year by the very largest advertisers--companies such as consumer products giant Procter & Gamble and automakers such as General Motors and Ford.

And, though its spending is a lot for a tech company, Apple has also seen a significant spike in its sales, particularly the heavily marketed iPod music player. The company sold $4.5 billion worth of the players in its fiscal year, a more than threefold increase over the prior year.

"They're getting great bang for the buck," said Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. "To be who they are, it's important to have cool ads out there."
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Read More / Source: ZDNet