Advertising Copy (ATL & BTL)

What is Above The Line advertising?

Above the line advertising refers to advertising messages that get broadcasted around a wider target audience via traditional offline media such as TV ads, radio, newspapers, magazines and out of home billboards. 

The possible reach of these messages being broadcasted is large, particularly if they are broadcasted on a popular to channel at a major time, or in a largely read national newspaper.Thus, above the line channels are well suited towards brand-building as it opens an opportunity to get in front of potential hundreds of viewers.

The only disadvantages of above the line is mostly due to cost, major time slots demand prime rates and it can be very hard to track back your investments. Additionally, there is a small opportunity to target specific audiences as certain television channels can be selected based on the audience. There is also certain regional print publications that can be used to target specific geographical areas, but targeting is severely limited compared to below the line channels.

In simpler terms, above the line channels are viewed as ‘push’ channels, basically when channels that can be used to ‘push’ out messaging in an unsought manner to audiences that possibly haven’t shown any prior interest in a brand or product, which makes it a recommendation for people unaware of the brand or product, aware.

What is Below The Line Advertising?

Below the line advertising refers to messages that are delivered to target specific audiences. The specificity of that audience depends on the channel being used to deliver the message, for example, BTL advertising agencies being hired to help companies to develop ads and promotion strategies directed towards various different demographics such as age, gender and location using tools like direct emailing, or direct product demonstrations for specific audience. 

Below the line channels are ideal for delivering largely targeted product messages to small audiences that are likely to convert as a direct result of the advertisements message. Typically, above the line is used in the awareness and consideration stages. Whilst some of this advertising will go onto ‘convert’ this will usually be significantly further on down the customer journey. These activities really build the first stages of the process. Below the line activities are much more leaned on audience centric and the intention behind the engagement shows that there is the opportunity to convert these users.