ATL, BTL, and TTL Marketing Strategies
Above the Line (ATL) Marketing
ATL marketing includes mass marketing strategies that are largely untargeted and focused on building the brand.
Advantages of ATL
- Wider Reach
- Better Connection with the Audience
- Brand Building
Example: FedEx’s “Oops,” the one word we don’t have in our dictionary.
Through the Line (TTL) Marketing
TTL marketing involves marketers creating campaigns that include both ATL and BTL strategies. It refers to 360-degree advertising where campaigns are developed with the vision of brand building as well as conversions. Sometimes, ATL strategies are used to execute direct marketing strategies. This, too, comes under TTL marketing.
Below the Line (BTL) Marketing
BTL marketing includes direct marketing strategies directed to specific target groups and focused on conversions rather than building the brand. (Examples: Outdoor advertising, direct email marketing, brand activation).
Advantages of BTL
- Extremely Targeted
- Better ROI in Terms of Conversion
- Easy Control
Example: Colgate billboard.
Conventional vs. Non-Conventional Advertising
Mass media is considered conventional (Conventional Advertising), while unconventional media is considered Unconventional Advertising.
Expenditure figures are still registered separately, which allows us to acknowledge the significant evolution in recent years:
- Conventional Advertising: 43.4%
- Non-conventional Advertising: 56.6%
Examples of Conventional Advertising
Billboards, print, radio, outdoor, TV, cinema.
Examples of Non-Conventional Advertising
Designed to cut through the clutter of traditional ads to grab the attention of customers: Direct marketing, guerrilla marketing, sponsorship, POS displays, leaflets.
Commercialization of Advertising
Advertising marketing consists of using all the tools available to implement the strategy that has been set out, by optimizing all the resources that have been assigned.
This includes:
- Rates/Prices
- Research
- Sales Pitches
- Communication
Rates
The theoretical value that the commercial department of a vehicle assigns to an advertising space. It ends up being the cost that the advertiser pays to reach their audience. There may be different rates for the same media depending on the location and the advertising format.
The focus lies on the target audience and the quality of the impact.
Research
Uses all available tools to achieve a comprehensive understanding of:
- The markets (advertiser and competitors)
- The consumers (tastes and preferences)
- The media (features and benefits)
- Strategic proposals for each target market
Research Tools
- External Sources in Spain: EGM, Infoadex, Directivos, Kantar Media
- In-house Research: Qualitative and quantitative ad-hoc studies, organized panels, control of competitors
- Research within the Sector: Atenea, ARI
The Sales Pitch
The vehicle’s business card. It is a commercial folder with exhaustive information about the vehicle: concept or editorial content, main data, audience description, and the key that differentiates the vehicle from competitors.
Communication
A marketing tool to reach a target market and increase their awareness of the advantages of a product. The goals include:
- Communicating the advantages of the vehicle
- Communicating a new release
- Tightening the links with the client
Actions
- Communicating the benefits of the vehicle, concept, audience increase, and special issues.
- Sales pitch
- Advertising campaign
- Mailing with presents
- Highlighting key competitive advantages