Apple's 2008 ad budget: $486M

You've undoubtedly seen your fair share of Apple television commercials this year, most of them for the iPhone. Well, if you're wondering what it all costs, we now know the answer.

BNet's Lindsay Blakely got the scoop by reading the fine print in Apple’s 5 November 10-K filing. According to the federal filing Apple's advertising budget for 2008 was $486 million or about 13 percent of its $3.8 billion SG&A (selling, general, and administrative expenses) budget. That's a little more than Apple spent in 2007 ($467 million) and large increase over what it spent in 2006 ($338 million).

Tip of the hat to Ms. Blakely who uncovered that little detail buried in a footnote under “Significant Accounting Policies.”