Introduction

Promotion or Marketing Promotion is generally sub-divided into two parts:

• Above the line promotion or Advertisement: Promotion in the media (e.g. TV, radio, newspapers, Internet) in which the advertiser pays an advertising agency to place the ad.
• (BTL) Below the line promotion: All other promotion. Much of this is intended to be subtle enough that the consumer is unaware that promotion is taking place. E.g. sponsorship, product placement, endorsements, sales promotion, merchandising, direct mail, personal selling, public relations, trade shows.

Above the line and below the line marketing services represent two different sides of a marketer's brand awareness and customer targeting strategy. ATL is synonymous to mass marketing, big splash advertising, whereas BTL is data driven, highly measurable and focused on customer acquisition and retention programs.