Despite the proven art and science of advertising, many still describe it as a gamble. When it comes to approaching the discipline on behalf of a brand or product, advertising can be classed as; Above-the-Line, Below-the-Line, and Through-the Line. Seeing as we identify as an activation and events agency, our pronouns are BTL. So, for us, the question of going Below-the-line is always how low can you go? 

BTL Marketing. 

BTL is aimed specifically at targeted individuals that have been identified as potential customers based on their needs or preferences. The desired result from this is to increase sales and provide valuable data estimated as a return on investment. 

Popular BTL Strategies include sales promotions, direct marketing, sponsorships, branding and merchandising, trade fairs and exhibitions, packaging, personal selling, and telemarketing.

Sales promotions
These are temporary methods to improve sales by attracting new customers and encouraging existing customers to purchase more. Point-of-sales promotions are commonly used in retail stores and are a good example of below-the-line activities. Examples are visual merchandising, retailing pop-up stores, samplings, Point of sales displays promotional activities. The aim is to encourage impulse buying and increase ROIs.

Direct marketing and direct mail

Direct marketing happens whenever you buy a product especially online, and information about you is collected one way or the other. Companies like to collect as much information about you as they can such that you may not always notice the small print about sharing your details with trusted partners. 

These companies communicate to consumers with advertising techniques such as fliers, catalogs, and promotional literature. If an advertisement asks the customer to respond in some way, such as calling a free phone number or visiting a website, this is called direct response advertising.

Sponsorship/Celebrity Endorsement

Sponsorship is where an organization pays to be associated with a particular event, cause, or image. It is most evident in the entertainment industry especially when it comes to sports, where no major event is without at least one significant sponsor. 

The hope is that the celebrity endorsement will encourage fans to equate the image of the athlete with their products and services tapping into the ethos of the brand/activity. Therefore, firms look for positive qualities such as an athlete’s global popularity and recognition, social media presence, credibility, fitness, physical attractiveness, trustworthiness, expertise, and personal strengths.

BTL is designed to ensure direct consumers for the brand by focusing on the customers and their wants. This form of marketing is easy to track with desired results.

… Till will stream your way next time; we remain the innovation powerhouse.