ATL, BTL, & TTL Marketing – Definition, Examples, & Difference

Marketing activities (basically advertisements) today can be divided into three segments – Above the Line (ATL), Below the Line (BTL), & Through the Line (TTL) marketing.

The line was originally used to separate marketing activities which had mass penetration (above the line) to those which had specific penetration (below the line). But then, because of the increased competition and development in technology, emerged through the line marketing activities which blurs the line and include the use of both ATL & BTL advertising activities.

Above the Line

Above the Line marketing or ATL advertising consists of advertising activities that are largely non-targeted and have a wide reach. ATL communication is done to build the brand and inform the customers about the product. Conversions are given less importance in above the line advertising.

To make it simpler-

Above the line marketing includes mass marketing strategies which are largely untargeted and are focused on building the brand.

By ‘untargeted’ we mean that the communication isn’t directed towards a specific group. The mediums convey the message to everyone who has access to them.

Examples of Above the Line Promotion

Television

An average American watches 4.3 hours of TV in a day. It’s a similar case with the rest of the world. TV advertisements have a reach from local, to national, and international audience depending on the TV channel and the contract between the parties. TV advertisements have a better connection with the users as moving images with audio are preferred over still images or audio alone.

Radio

Psychologists tell us that consumers need to be exposed to an advertising message at least three times before it begins to penetrate. No other media other than radio provide such affordability when it comes to this frequency.

Radio is a perfect option for marketers to fulfil all the frequency and creative demands of an advertisement. Radio to have a local, national, and international reach just like TVs.

Print Advertisements (magazine & newspaper)

Local, regional and national print media has a wider reach than any of the other mediums. Newspapers have fixed ad-slots that are used by marketers to inform customers / prospective customers about the brand or offers.

Magazines exist in niches and make it easier for marketers to reach their niche directly through them.

mcd print ad

Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor advertising is usually done in public places and is constantly on display, have a greater reach depending on the locations. They include Flags, Banners, Wraps, Billboards, etc.

colgate shotgun approach Marketing activities (basically advertisements) can be divided into - Above the Line (ATL), Below the Line (BTL), & Through the Line (TTL) Marketing

Advantages of Above the line marketing

  • Wider Reach: Above the line advertising mediums have a wide (national/international) reach.
  • Better Connect with the audience: The mediums like TV and radio use audio-visuals which have a better connect with the audience.
  • Brand Building: Media advertising is a crucial tool in defining and realizing brand identity. A brand is built by the customers. The role of marketers in brand building is to reach as many prospective customers as they can and communicate to them about the brand and its benefits creatively. Above the line marketing, hence, plays an integral role when it comes to brand building.

Below the Line

Below-the-line marketing or BTL advertising consists of very specific, memorable and direct advertising activities focused on targeted groups of consumers.  Often known as direct marketing strategies, below the line strategies focus more on conversions than on building the brand.

To make it simpler –

Below the line marketing includes direct marketing strategies directed to specific target groups and focused on conversions rather than building the brand.

Examples of Below the Line Promotion

Direct Mail Marketing

One of the most personal strategies used by marketers, direct mails (e-mails, text messages, etc.) are tailor-made messages about the brand or different offers drafted according to the needs of each customer. Hence this BTL strategy could result in more conversions if planned properly.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship is a partnership with different corporates or events to get more impressions and is usually carried as a part of brand building strategies at a BTL level.

sponsorship Marketing activities (basically advertisements) can be divided into - Above the Line (ATL), Below the Line (BTL), & Through the Line (TTL) Marketing

Brand Activation

Brand Activation is the art of driving consumer action through brand interaction and experiences. The key aim of these campaigns is to get consumers to act and to bring brands to life via experiences and forming long-term emotional connections.

brand activation Marketing activities (basically advertisements) can be divided into - Above the Line (ATL), Below the Line (BTL), & Through the Line (TTL) Marketing

In-Store Marketing

Marketing activities done within the retail store are called In-store marketing activities. These below the line activities make use of various point of sales to get the most return out of the investments.

Advantages of Below the line marketing

  • Extremely Targeted: Conversions are better when the communication is done according to the customer wants. Since BTL marketing strategies are extremely targeted, results are better in terms of conversions.
  • Better ROI: Below the line promotional efforts are focused on the specific target group, have a better reach, can be easily executed, tracked, and controlled. Hence BTL strategies provide a better ROI and MROI in terms of conversion.
  • Easy Control: The return from these activities can be easily tracked and monitored and steps can be taken to improve ROI.
  • Tailor-Made: Below the line advertising strategies are designed according to the needs of a specific target group and hence can be moulded differently for different customer groups.

Through the Line

Through the Line marketing or TTL advertising involves the use of both ATL & BTL marketing strategies. The recent consumer trend in the market requires the integration of both ATL & BTL strategies for better results.

To make it simper-

Through the marketing involves marketers to create marketing campaigns which include both ATL & BTL strategies. It refers to 360-degree advertising where campaigns are developed with the vision of brand building as well as conversions.

Sometimes above the line strategies are used to execute their direct marketing strategies. This too comes under TTL marketing.

Examples of Through the Line Promotion

360° Marketing

Marketing strategies can be planned and carried out with an integrated approach of using both ATL & BTL advertising mediums to get the maximum advantage. Most of the marketing campaigns today are TTL campaigns.

Digital Marketing

It is possible to carry out a digital marketing strategy which offers above the line marketing benefits while acting as a below the line communication to the customer. This type of advertising is cookie based. Users get highly personalized communication based on their needs/wants/choices. This strategy has a better ROI and is considered better by the consumer.

Go On, Tell Us What You Think!

Did we miss something?  Come on! Tell us what you think about our article on Above the Line (ATL), Below the Line (BTL), & Through the Line (TTL) Marketing in the comments section.

Leave a comment

53 Comments

  1. It was quite an informative post. I would like to take your help to further enhance my business.

    Thanks

    Reply
  2. Good understanding of ATL,BTL, & TTL activities.

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  3. Thanks for your helpful article.

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  4. Great and helpful article

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    • Good luck to meet with this article, is understandable and full demonstrated.

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    • Very useful and nicely explained.

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  5. Thanks for a great article. Well explained and easy to read…definitely a TTL article!

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  6. Nicely covered ATL BTL and TTL and their differences with examples.
    Would like to know what percentage of each in used and let me know about Facebook and Google Ads marketing type ?

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  7. Exactly good article. Simple & excellent article

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  8. i really liked your detailed information about three types of activities i have a bried idea but your expanation is more detailed and specific with regard to benefits

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  9. Very informative, I had no clue on what these terms meant till now

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  10. Very helpful to understand ATL BTL and TTL Marketing

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  11. Where can I find the course on Above the Line strategies.

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  12. Hi Ashish,
    Very informative article. Would like to get in touch for some advice. We are a startup and I am the Founder & CEO of the company.

    Reply
    • Yes

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  13. Article is very useful .

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  14. Article related to ATL ,BTL and TTL is very easy to understand and remember.

    Reply
  15. Hi

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  16. Hi ,

    I am very happy to find this article, very good information for and my company of Media Advertising and radio drama production.

    Thank you so much

    Reply
  17. I have a doubt ,
    If a company sponsors an event and also puts up a stall at the event what kind of advertising strategy will it be called and what if the company is bank loan or an awareness generating ngo.

    Reply
    • It will be a BTL marketing strategy.

      Reply
  18. Very helpful. Top rate

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  19. Thanks Aanish, Very useful one.

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  20. Yes it is good for marketers to have this at their finger tips it helps in exploring the market

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  21. Well written, simple and specific, what I have been looking for for days! Thank you!

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  22. Well delivered

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  23. isnt ooh atl???

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    • Thanks for the correction.

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  24. Hello. The article was good. It was well written. I have one comment though about the ad placed on top of the screen. It is very inappropriate and disturbs while reading. I hope you can have some kind of solution to this problem. Other than that, the article was quite good. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Hello Pramesh

      Thanks for the feedback. We’ve removed the ad.

      Reply
  25. Hi, Thanks for sharing this knowledge.
    By the above definitions is it safe to consider SMS campaigns BTL activity.

    Reply
  26. Great article! The explanations are very clear and easy to comprehend. Thanks!

    Reply
  27. Thanks sir all things are clear about about atl btl and ttl, but I know about what is horaca sales ?

    Reply
    • We’re glad you liked it. Did you mean HoReCa?

      Reply
  28. Nicely explained
    TTL creates some confusion though
    Can u elaborate TTL specifically.

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    • hello,

      TTL

      Digital Marketing is a part of TTL and the the example for this would be as below

      Consider flipkart has posted big billion day across the internet – the ideology is both branding and selling happening at the same time…

      means ,viewing the adv is ATL and clicking on the adv and converting that to sale is BTL

      COMBINATION OF ATL + BTL = TTL

      Reply
  29. Outdoor advertising also falls under ATL I guess, because there is no specific targeted customer. BTL is basically those expenses where companies make one-to-one interactions with customer like Trade load, discounts, DO/PO charges, display charges, slotting allowance and sales incentives. Hope I am correct.

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    • Hello

      Outdoor can be both ATL and BTL. But since it is target specific usually, it is considered BTL.

      Reply
  30. Very well written and informative . Thnxx

    Reply
  31. Well explained with the examples and very interesting !

    Reply
  32. Hey Ashish

    Well written article, however in the same context would appreciate more elaborative version, as this is quite helpful for beginners.

    The comprehensive detailing on digital aspects would be drool worthy

    Cheers!!

    Reply
  33. This article is educative however the metaphoric ‘line’ hasn’t been clearly defined. I would appreciate if it can be clearly defined

    Reply
    • The line differentiates the target audience from everyone. Below the line tactics are used to spread the message just to the target audience while above the line tactics target everyone.

      Reply
  34. Very helpful comprehensive info Aashish – thanks so much!

    Reply
  35. Thank you so much for this, really helped me understand promotion better!!!

    Reply
  36. Good, crisp information. Thanks and waiting for more such vibrant post regard to different marketing theories.

    Reply
  37. Hey. Thanks for the write up. Could you tell me the difference between 360 degree marketing and digital marketing? Both sounds same to me.

    Reply
  38. Thank you so much very helpfull information

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  39. Thanks for the well-written information specially the examples.

    I am confused that why you guys select the billboard example in below the line, I mean why not on above the line?

    Reply
    • Hi Sadaf,

      We’re glad that you liked the article. Billboards, according to us, can be categorized as ATL or BTL depending upon the area it is installed in. We’ve listed billboards as BTL as billboards are more location and target group specific and are installed in the places where there are more visitors who belong to the target group.

      Reply
  40. Crisp, concise and clear information shared

    Reply
  41. Thanks a lot Aashish…..Your article gave better insights to ATL, BTL and TTL

    Reply