With consumption trends shifting constantly, marketers needed to find ways to address these
changing demands. Through the Line (TTL) marketing activities help marketers use an
integrated approach to advertise products to both mass and focused markets simultaneously.
Above the Line (ATL) advertising
ATL strategies focus at directing the communication towards the mass market. All
promotional messages are untargeted, meaning they do not focus on a specific target group.
The idea behind this is to inform customers about the availability of the product. Marketers
seek to encourage customers to visit stores and actively seek the product. These strategies
help companies reach a larger audience and create brand visibility.
Implementing ATL activities:
Television: Advertising campaigns directed at the regional or national level
Print media: Promotional messages in newspapers, online articles, and advertisements
Radio: Pan-country or pan-city radio broadcasts
Below the Line (BTL) advertising
BTL activities are more focused and they are directed towards specific groups of customers.
They are highly targeted, with advertisements being created keeping in mind the
demographic and psychographic characteristics of particular customer segments. The
communication is highly personalized and the objective is to gain conversions.
The major advantage of BTL advertising is that the results of the campaign can be easily
tracked. ROI is also higher here. Additionally, campaigns can be tailored for different subsets
of consumers within a single segment.
Implementing BTL activities:
Outdoor advertisements: Billboards, fliers, banners, sandwich boards, and so on
Direct marketing: SMS, emails, social media posts, pamphlets
Sponsorship: Events, competition
Public Relations: Press conferences, viral marketing
In-store promotion: Visual merchandising, retailer pop-ups, sampling, sales promotions
Through the Line (TTL) advertising
TTL advertising involves an integrated approach where both ATL and BTL strategies are
combined. The objective here is to get a holistic view of the market and communicate with
customers in every way possible. Considering that both ATL and BTL activities are used
here, all TTL strategies lead to better brand visibility and brand recall.