The annals of Marketing Management have witnessed a tug of war between advertising and sales promotion since inception. But in the early phase of twenty first century this war has taken a new avatar in form of Above - The- Line and Below - The- Line activities, widening both scope and intensity of this war. Above-the-line propagated traditional marketing channels that strive to reach a mass audience with messages that reinforce a brand communicate general product information or inspire an emotional response. “Below-the-line” initiatives, by comparison, acts like traditional direct marketing efforts – they aspire to establish targeted relationships between marketers and individual consumers, and offer comparable ease in measurability. With increase fragmentation and demographic along with the increased pressure to increase effectiveness of marketing communication soon BTL activities started substituting ATL activities and there has been a steady growth in BTL expenditure in this century. With its unique ability to personalize and customize communication this form of communication is slowly replacing the mass media advertising.
[...] Collectively, these practices speak to the active participation of consumers in the marketing process, a phenomenon made possible by the same innovations that many marketers expected would cement their authority in customers' daily lives. They demand marketing responses that are concise, relevant and universal across all media so that consumers who choose to interact via multiple channels (say, researching available products online and then completing the purchase in-store) are exposed to a consistent fundamental buying experience Widespread marketing “clutter” diminishes the impact of commercial messages that don't address specific and individually relevant consumer needs. [...]
[...] Heightened client pressure to deliver quantifiable value by evaluation of ROI of the marketing initiatives , forces marketing service providers especially agencies to re-evaluate services platforms 6. Growing effectiveness of “multi channel” campaigns (those that cross multiple media) reinforces demand for tactics that establish one-to- one relationships between marketers and consumers 7. Rapid technological advances allow for consumer/marketer interactions that are frequent, easier and more relevant than previously possible Trends Impacting BTL Marketing Budgets 1.) Changing consumer demographics decrease the influence of traditional mass- media (i.e. [...]
[...] Mail marketing: It involves creation of compelling branded Mail/email templates and campaign messages, and also our data driven services to develop precise targeting to reach the highest number of quality prospects Email marketing services include: 1. Access to responsive online consumers: Targeting the message to proprietary opt in consumer databases, which offers over unique consumer email addresses through: Carefully selected consumer profiles that fit their audience Predefined niche audience segments 2. Response analysis: On-going reporting and analysis to help clients assess results and make adjustments if needed. [...]
[...] Current Scenario in the field of BTL activities Despite general growth in advertising and marketing services expenditures as well as a one-year spike in broadcast television spending brought on by the quadrennial Olympics/ U.S. presidential election cycle market spending data suggest that above- the-line marketing is not fairing well compared to the industry at large. In 2006, ATL spending (encompassing such channels as television, radio, newspapers, magazines and yellow pages) is expected to grow 5.6 percent, a full 1.7 percent behind the industry as a whole. [...]
[...] Increasingly, savvy marketers are waking up to this essential need; according to the Direct Marketing Association, approximately 42 percent of marketers now sell via two primary channels, while another 40 percent sell via three. Marketers likewise are increasingly searching for service providers whose capabilities span more than one or two media providing both potential cost advantages and a uniform platform from which to launch cohesive, integrated campaigns Rapid technological advances allow for consumer/marketer interactions that are more frequent, easier and more relevant than previously possible. [...]
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