With the proliferation of media channels, viewership tracking problems and heterogeneity of people in the Indian market, traditional Above-the-Line (ATL) marketing communication needs to be balanced with Below-the-Line (BTL) marketing for successful communication. For promoting any product the marketing manager can leverage on advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct response marketing and direct selling. Among these, activities pertaining to public relations and sales promotion fall under BTL marketing.

An analysis of the different cat- egories of BTL activities and their applications reveal that this method can be considered as an investment rather than a promotional expenditure. The advantage of BTL when compared to ATL methods is that they can utilize the local environmental opportunities as key ingredients and reach the product's target audience with a local flavor, thus resulting in enhanced brand awareness, preference and sustained brand loyalty.

BTL methods, such as seminars, conferences, road shows, contests, trade leveraging activities, street furniture, aero bridges and branded vehicles, can be supplemented with ATL methods like television, internet, newspaper and radio advertisements, for targeting potential consumers of the product. Advertising through traditional media (television, radio, newspapers and internet) is considered as Above-the-Line marketing activity. All the other means of communication, such as seminars, conferences, road shows, contests, trade leveraging activities, street furniture and branded vehicles that create awareness about the product and enhance its image among the target audience are classified as BTL activities.

Marketing programs tailored to the needs and wants of the local market, i.e., customer groups in neighborhood trading areas is called local marketing. Local marketing activities concentrate on getting as close and personally relevant to customers in an area as possible. BTL is an efficient tool for local marketing. Distributing branded t-shirts, highlighting one's brand in a local stadium, etc., enable marketers to reach closer to individual consumers, thereby yielding good results. In a particular local market a retailer can achieve better sales results by displaying banners, circulating brochures and sponsoring local events than by releasing television and newspaper advertisements alone. Television and newspapers have a much wider reach, but for reaching a local consumer group which forms the major target audience for a neighborhood retailer, television and print advertisements should be supplemented with communication through BTL media. Thus, BTL media facilitates and supports local marketing.

Marketing Mastermind Magazine, Below-the-Line Marketing, Communication Tool, Marketing Communication, Traditional Media, Radio Advertisements, Marketing Programs, Local Marketing, Brand Loyalty, FMCG Brands, Automobile Sectors, Television Programs, Consumer Segments.