BTL is what? BTL advertising - what is it? The main advantages of BTL advertising

The concept of integrated marketing communications is becoming increasingly popular. It includes both traditional advertising campaign - ATL-advertising, and BTL-communications and public relations. If with classical advertising everything is clear, then BTL is what?

Deliver

The terms ATL and BTL appeared around the middle of the 20th century. Many, probably, heard a story about the head who, when signing the advertising budget, included the cost of distributing free samples of products and recorded them with his own hand under the line of basic expenses. According to this legend, a division into "above the line" and "below the line" arose. Costs for ATL include costs related to the placement of advertising information in the media. This is television, radio, outdoor advertising, printed publications. BTL also includes all kinds of ways to stimulate sales. Expenses for this direction are calculated from the total budget for marketing communications. However, there is a tendency to redistribute the BTL budget from the residual to the basic category.

BTL-industry

BTL is what? English term describing marketing communications, depending on the principle of forming the target audience. A literal translation of "below the line" means "under the line". It is a delicate marketing tool that includes sales promotion, placement of POS materials, merchandising, direct mailing, incentive actions for buyers and employees of the trading chain. It is believed that BTL-advertising is more targeted and allows you to deliver a call for purchase or any other advertising message directly to the final individual consumer. Usually, the call is extremely individual, and BTL works, as a rule, directly at the place of sale or the decision-making zone about the purchase.

BTL in Russia

The effectiveness of traditional advertising in the media is gradually decreasing, which leads to an increase in the activity of BTL-events, improving the quality of this industry and increasing the budget for conducting promotional events. ATL- and BTL-advertising compete with each other for the client's budget. Many Russian companies prefer to cooperate with network agencies, to create projects jointly. Because keeping a whole department in the state is expensive and inexpedient. And some do not even know what the BTL project is from within and in general BTL is what? Corporate standards dictate requirements to agencies, including those concerning the uniqueness of implemented promotional events.

Reasons for the growing popularity of BTL

Consumers become more demanding and informed, they need to independently understand the offered products, receive more useful information about them, and in some cases, try the proposed product. All this is offered by well-organized BTL-events. BTL advertising is created directly for the target audience and is aimed at the end user of promoted products. Obviously, the potential return from it will be much higher than from classical advertising in the media, where everyone receives an advertising message, regardless of whether a person needs this product or not.

BTL campaigns

The advertising BTL agency uses the following tools to influence each specific customer: sales promotion, personal communications, public relations, merchandising, use of POS materials, event marketing.

For the end user, the manager of BTL can offer such ways of stimulation as tastings, actions on delivery of gifts for purchase, win-win lotteries, distribution of samplers (sampling), distribution of POS materials. Merchandising is used to encourage sellers, directors of retail stores and distributors. It is a presentation of the goods in storefronts and counters and tracking the availability of goods at points of sale. Also, conferences, seminars, competitions, lotteries are organized.

Event-specific events include exhibitions, festivals, concerts to promote the product, brand or brand among consumers. Activities to increase the loyalty of partners and to inform about the activities of the company. These are press conferences, seminars, exhibitions. Also, special events include programs to strengthen the corporate culture within the company between employees. This is a joint celebration, popular today team-building. Marketing research consists in conducting a comparative analysis of market participants, the need to determine the volume, market share. Revealing of tendencies of development of the market.

Promotions

BTL-projects, as a rule, include the work of a promoter, supervisor and project manager or coordinator. It is the promoter that will be the most important link in this chain. The success of the whole event depends on how well people who directly contact the end user perform their work qualitatively, to which the action is directed. Therefore, the selection and training of personnel by BTL-agency should be given a lot of attention.

Responsibility of supervisor

In the framework of the project, the promoters are subject to the supervisor. He controls their work in the outlet at the time of the action. Since the supervisor is also involved in the organization of the workplace of subordinates, he is also responsible for the quality of their work. Supervisor is important to be able to quickly navigate in a difficult situation and quickly resolve conflicts

Responsibilities of the coordinator

The project manager, or the coordinator, contacts the managers of the retail stores where promotional events will take place. Responsible for the delivery of promotional stands, promotional materials, the required quantity of the advertised product, its samples. In addition, the coordinator monitors the completion of the reporting of the event. In general, the manager's task is to ensure the planned course of the promotional event.

What else is BTL

BTL marketing, in addition to classical components, also includes some border tools. Event marketing is usually referred to as PR events, rather than to BTL, although during such projects, promotions are conducted to assess the reaction of potential buyers to the advertised product. The second tool is the Internet, SMS and mailing lists. Their goal is to reach the target audience as much as possible. But in this case there is direct contact with the potential consumer.

If we talk about the influence of POS-materials, in this case, the impact will occur only at the time of making a decision to purchase exclusively at points of sale. With the help of shelftokers, wobblers, bright price tags, promo stands, there is an establishment of visual contact with customers, attracting their attention, which further promotes sales growth due to impulse purchases.

Development trends

ATL- and BTL-advertising with time undergoes some changes. In economic crises BTL suffers less than the traditional advertising market. It is connected with the fact that BTL allows to ensure maximum sales with a minimum of costs. There is also a tendency to increase individualization of work with clients. The emphasis is not so much on the product itself, as on the needs of customers and demonstrating care for the consumer.

As a rule, customers of BTL-actions are tobacco companies, FMCG, manufacturers of machinery, alcohol products, cellular operators, pharmaceutical companies. They do not need to explain, BTL is what? With targeted offers and promo events, these companies are familiar not by hearsay.

A successful promotion will not only fulfill its basic function, for example, an increase in sales for the period of the action by 30%, but will also provide a number of other advantages. Since during the action the contact directly with the end buyer is going on, the promoter can create a positive image of the company in the eyes of the consumer, stimulate an additional purchase, raise the brand recognition.

Successful implementation of the action is preceded by painstaking analytical preparation. To begin with, you need to choose the right type of event. Having collected the necessary information base, it will be easier to determine the BTL tools. After gathering the information, the goals are set and the accents of the future project are placed. Further, the estimate is approved and a detailed plan of the forthcoming event is drawn up. The plan reflects the precise terms of the project. Correctly chosen timing of the action will be one of the factors of success. And the professionalism of the staff will make it possible to realize the promo campaign successfully and achieve the desired results.