Above-the-line marketing strategies consist of Mass Media forms of communication including TV, radio and newspaper advertising.

Below-the-line marketing refers to forms of non-media communications and advertising. Below-the-line strategies are specific, targeted and usually consist of short-term incentives

aimed at potential consumers, often with an immediate or a delayed duration. E.g. exhibitions, sponsorship activities, public relations and sales promotions, like giving freebies with goods, trade discounts given to dealers and customers, reduced price offers on products, giving coupons which can be redeemed later, and so on.

In a nutshell, while above-the-line promotions are tailored for a mass audience, below-the-line promotions are targeted at individuals according to their needs or preferences. While above-the-line promotions can establish brand identity, below-the-line marketing can actually lead to a sale.

Various companies sponsor sport events to promote their brand, but nowadays media companies like Hindustan Times are holding weekly events through out the country in which companies can put up their stalls, display banners and posters and arrange for some fun activities. These events give the companies a platform at very low price to promote their brand and increase visibility among target consumer. These companies also give discount coupons to winners in the games, which in turn boost the sales of the products and ensure that first time users try these products as well.

ATL: All marketing activities that are connected with or use media having a reach to the mass public such as advertisement on TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, internet, etc. Basically, trying to reach a larger consumer audience at the same time (macro approach/level).

BTL: It is concerned with all those marketing or promotional activities connected at a lower scale target audience such as distribution of pamphlets, handbills, stickers, sandwich men, brochures at major POS (Point Of Sale such as retailers/shops) or on the road in particular localities. Banners, placards and other POS material like hangings, or even activities such as free samples or product demos at the POS would fall in this category. Even roadside exhibitions or 'roadshows' (vehicles with product displays moving around distributing pamphlets and making announcements) would be a BTL activity.

An example to conclude, while my target audience is driving home from work in the evening, he/she hears the advertisement for product 'X' on the radio, meanwhile at the next traffic signal there is a roadshow going on. Then, they decide to stop to buy groceries on the way, there's a guy at the entrance distributing

handbills of this same product 'X', he/she enters the department store to find stickers and other hanging material in the store. He/she somehow manages to overcome temptation and does not purchase 'X' but again on the way home he sees billboards and reflector signs with the same advertisement playing on the radio. He/she goes home and turns on the TV, a different advertisement is playing for 'X' in the regular intervals, he/she finally puts off the TV after dinner and when lying down, picks up a magazine to read, again 'X' is featuring. He/she gets up next morning to find a handbill along with the morning newspaper this time offering some free gift for the purchase of 'X'. Inside the newspaper, there's even a free sample included. At the office, while checking personal mails, there's a banner for the same 'X'. Some colleagues at the office during lunch break are talking about this new big launch of 'X' and he/she even gets an advertisement as a sms (text message) on his mobile phone.

That evening on the way back, he/she finally succumbs and buys 'X' !

ATL BTL

• Reach a mass audience. • Individual consumers are targeted.

• Establish brand identity / reinforce emotional concepts surrounding a product or brand

• Issue a “call-to-action,” inspiring specific customer activity

• May or may not drive customer response • Drive individual responses

• Difficult to capture various segments in one go.

• Easy to capture different segments through specific techniques.

• Difficult to measure • It is quantifiable and measurable

• Preferred mode of communication when budget is more and reach is large.

• Preferred mode of communication when promotional budget is less.

• Return on Investment is low • Possibility of high Return on Investment is more.