Indian Rural BTL Advertising

ORIGIN OF THE”LINE” The origin of term “BTL” is the following: an advertising manager of Procter & Gamble developed promotion campaign media-plan that included main media channels: TV, press, outdoor etc. He underlined it, summarized the expenses and only after recalled about the board on fairy, souvenirs, gifts etc. He added these expenses to the list “below the line”. BTL is usually opposed/contrasted to ATL (above the line) – advertising in its traditional distribution channels: press, TV, radio, outdoor, movie, Internet. The channals 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 fragmentations 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.