BTL Activities and its significance

Advertising platforms are divided into two wide categories Above the Line Advertising (ATL Advertising) and Below the Line Advertising (BTL Advertising). In ATL marketing activities mass media is used as a platform to communicate with the audience. Classic examples of ATL activities are Television, Radio etc. BTL activities have a more direct and personal approach. It relies on one-on-one interaction with target audience.

ATL marketing gives exposure to a vast set of audience whereas BTL marketing activities give exposure to a concentrated set of audience. Even though ATL marketing has a wider reach, BTL marketing targets specific category of audience that is especially interested in your product category and hence BTL advertisements yield high results when it comes to brand promotion.

There are various forms of BTL activities that can help your business tremendously

• Brand Activation – Brand Activation is the process of engaging a concentrated set of target audience in their habitat. The main aim of brand activation is to inculcate a positive attitude and to generate a good response from the target group. Brand activation activities entail experiential marketing, mall activation, corporate activation, showroom activation and such other activities.
• Contests and Sweepstakes – Contests and sweepstakes pull a lot of crowd. These activities will most likely attract people that either deal with your product category or are interested in it. Sweepstakes and exciting prizes tend to attract a lot of attention and publicity, indirectly aiding in brand promotion.
• Direct Marketing – This is the smartest and the most effective form of marketing so far. Direct marketing attracts customers and accumulates vital info about them without using popular marketing mediums. It is a cost effective method that gives your brand the desired exposure.
• Door to Door Marketing – The traditional door-to-door marketing is still a popular form of below the line marketing activities. It has worked effectively for many brands in the past and yielded fantastic results. It is still practiced by many brands especially dealing in home appliance.

These activities can help increase brand awareness in the marketing. BTL marketing is especially useful to increase brand credibility among consumers and subsequently promote brand loyalty. BTL marketing can be advantageous in many ways; listed below are just a few examples

• Strengthens consumer-brand relationship –Unlike other marketing mediums BTL activities stresses on one-on-one communication. Personal interaction with clients is more valuable in quality. It helps to forge a strong relationship with customers.
• Enables easy evaluation of marketing activities – With one – on- one interaction it become easy to gauge and evaluate the audience reactions and even measure the performance and effectiveness of the marketing activity.
• Exposure to concentrated audience – Through BTL activities you can reach out to targeted groups. You need not fear that the marketing message you are projecting in lost in the crowd, with BTL activities you can be assured that your message is reaching the right people and at the right time.
• Effective response from audience – Direct communication with your target group has many benefits and one of them is unadulterated feedback or response from your customers about your product and services.
• Customized marketing activities – Every product has a set of specific target group. In order to reach out to them you need BTL promotions. BTL marketing enables you to reach your audience in their habitat and even create customized marketing plans to leave an unforgettable impression on them.

Off late many brands are indulging in below the line marketing activities. It is the most effective way to communicate with your audience, promote the brand and to boost sales.