July 2013 as well as lower commodity costs, primarily in our North America finished goods business, and favorable geographic mix. Refer to the heading "Structural Changes, Acquired Brands and Newly Licensed Brands" above for additional information regarding the impact of the deconsolidation of our Brazilian bottling operations. 

The favorable geographic mix was primarily due to growth in emerging markets. Although this shift in geographic mix has a negative impact on net operating revenues, it generally has a favorable impact on our gross profit margin due to the correlated impact it has on our product mix. The product mix in the majority of our emerging and developing markets is more heavily skewed toward our sparkling beverage products, which generally yield a higher gross profit margin compared to our still beverages and finished products. 

Year Ended December 31, 2013 versus Year Ended December 31, 2012 

Our gross profit margin increased to 60.7 percent in 2013 from 60.3 percent in 2012. The increase is partially due to the deconsolidation of our Philippine bottling operations in January 2013 and the deconsolidation of our Brazilian bottling operations in July 2013. Refer to the heading "Structural Changes, Acquired Brands and Newly Licensed Brands" above for additional information regarding the impact of the deconsolidation of our Philippine and Brazilian bottling operations. 

Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $92 million, or 1 percent. Foreign currency fluctuations decreased selling, general and administrative expenses by 2 percent. The decrease in stock-based compensation was primarily due to reversals in 2014 of previously recognized expenses related to the Company's long-term incentive compensation programs. The increase in advertising expenses reflects the Company's increased investments to strengthen our brands. This increase was partially offset by a foreign currency exchange impact of 4 percent. The decrease in bottling and distribution expenses is a result of the refranchising of certain territories in North America in 2014 and the deconsolidation of our Brazilian bottling operations as a result of their combination with an independent bottling partner in July 2013. 

In 2015, our pension expense is expected to increase by approximately $100 million compared to 2014. The anticipated increase is primarily due to a decrease in the weighted-average discount rate used to calculate the Company's benefit obligation, unfavorable asset performance compared to our expected return during 2014 and the adoption of more conservative mortality assumptions for U.S. plans partially offset by the impact of approximately $90 million of contributions expected to be made by the Company to our international plans. Refer to the heading "Liquidity, Capital Resources and Financial Position" below for information related to these contributions. Refer to the heading "Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates — Pension Plan Valuations" above and Note 13 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the pension plan assumptions used by the Company. 

As of December 31, 2014, we had $437