The 30-second TV spot may be the costliest part of a marketing campaign but it is definitely not the last stop in an integrated marketing strategy. That title goes to below-the line, or BTL, activities, without which any campaign is not really complete. From product demos at malls to distribution of free samples in housing complexes to organizing contests to offering a test drive, these are all BTL activities which brands use to convert the eager spender to a loyal consumer. With the number of consumer touch points growing manifold, it is BTL that allows marketers to engage with their target group more actively, create awareness about their products and services, and, if lucky, see them translate into actual sales.
It isn?t just low-priced items such as FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) which are using the BTL route. From consumer durables to financial services such as insurance products to vacations to even high-end products such as luxury cars, everyone is using the BTL platform to market their brands. An Ernst and Young study puts the BTL segment at Rs 20,000 crore in 2009, up from Rs 13,200 crore in 2006.
?Customer impulse plays a major role in case of FMCG items. However, price tags play a major deterrent. More often, emotions give way to rationale. For buying high-end products, there has to be a latent will,? says Pratik Seal, marketing head of Micromax. ?But touch-feel experience is definitely important for any kind of product. After all, jo dikhta hai woh bikta ha (what can be seen and touched gets sold).?
One of the main factors which make BTL activities a serious marketing tool is measurability. ?As pressure on budgetary spends continue given the multiplicity of marketing actions or media possible, marketers often have to develop benchmark return on investments (ROI) to justify spends on a particular medium. The ability to significantly measure the ROI in BTL activities results in marketers allocating funds in increasing rupee terms on BTL,? explains Rajesh Menon, founder and managing director of Impact Marketing Services, the company that provides BTL solutions to brands like Coca Cola, Britannia, Airtel, Microsoft, Toshiba, Samsung and Tata Communication.
?We organised a mobile van activity for Sony in up-country markets in select cities to provide consumers a touch-feel experience of the product. Similarly, we had set up kiosks for Britannia in a housing society to provide consumers with various eatables made out of cheese for sampling. Activity was also conducted across schools, resident welfare associations and clubs,? he added.
Subjected to a barrage of advertisements on TV, print and outdoor, consumers are often left confused and even blind towards the traditional form of communication. It is here that BTL works as a whiff of fresh air?exhibitions, sponsorship activities, sales promotions such as freebies, discounts and coupons narrow the gap between the producers and the consumers, while ensuring that a particular brand becomes top-of-the-mind.
?BTL is an integral part of our marketing strategy. We do road shows, display our products at apartments and malls. We are also hiring community halls to display our entire range of products. We find BTL promos useful for two reasons?it helps us promote our new range of products and more importantly, helps us to get the much-needed feedback directly from the customers,? says Suresh Kumar Bandi, head (sales and marketing) of Panasonic India.
Unlike above the line, or ATL, activities such as TV ads, print commercials or radio spots which offer consumers a passive experience, BTL offers consumers an opportunity to have a face-to-face interaction with the brand. This first-hand familiarization leads to higher brand experience, allowing marketers to cut through the media clutter and deliver a higher value to consumers.
BTL has the advantage of catching the attention of its target consumers directly and more effectively. ?ATL works like a shotgun. You create a commercial and saturate media options in the hope that amongst the universe of viewers, your specific target segment is also watching. BTL, on the other hand, works like a sniper rifle allowing marketers to reach out to specific segments only. It could reach out to the specific target audience, give them the necessary brand experience and allow marketers an ROI to determine whether it was a worthwhile spend or not,? says Menon.
However, it would be wrong to think that BTL has the edge over ATL in productivity and efficiency. ?If the marketer?s objective is to drive awareness, ATL would be considered more productive. Again, if the objective is to drive sales, then BTL will have the upper hand,? he adds.