Should new brands go with ATL or BTL marketing strategies?

If you have been in the market for a long time you would know that there are two common marketing strategies that any brand usually goes for in regards to advertising their product. Those two strategies are Above The Line (ATL) and Below The Line (BTL). ATL is used when a brand wants to attract maximum traffic and attention to their brand regardless of specifics whereas BTL is used to reach a specific target audience.

ATL uses the more conventional means of communication like Print and Television whereas BTL uses more specific means of communication like e-mail marketing and telemarketing to add that personalized touch. One of the major differences between ATL and BTL that the brands need to know before choosing their strategy is their objective. While ATL is more focused on creating a brand image and identity in the pool of brands, BTL is more about generating sales.

Let’s take an example. We see a lot of advertisements on television, in print as well as on the internet now. These advertisements help the brand to create a name for itself in the market. Let’s take Cadbury for an instance. We have seen multiple advertisements of the brand practically everywhere and it is not targeted to a specific person or a specific group of people. It is targeted to everyone watching it. You would never receive a phone saying we have launched a new Cadbury chocolate, please give it a try. This is ATL marketing where the objective is to create an identity.

Talking about BTL marketing, if you notice you tend to get a lot of emails with your name or even some phone calls asking for checking out their products. BTL marketing strategies also include pamphlets or product demos. A lot of local brands residing in specific areas go for BTL marketing as it becomes easier for them to reach out to people in their local area. The people residing in their localities are their target audience

If you are starting as a new brand, understand what you want. Know what your audience is, it could be specific or it could be wider. Know what your objective and intent are. And most importantly know what your audience needs. Knowing your aim and goal and knowing how you want to build your brand will determine which marketing strategy will work for you. Both the marketing strategies work successfully if done right and hence it depends on how one wants the audience to look at his/her brand.