date:Oct 28, 2013
, favorable sales mix and fixed cost absorption from volume gains.
Selling, marketing and administrative (SMA) expenses, excluding advertising, increased about 12 percent in the third quarter, less than our estimate of about a 20 percent increase due to timing and, therefore, we expect another meaningful increase in the fourth quarter. Advertising expense for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2013 increased 22 percent versus the year ago periods, supporting core brands and new prod