Below the Line (BTL) marketing refers to engaging consumers through their senses rather than just communicating to them. It uses incentives, contests, sampling and other tactics to motivate consumers to act and develop an emotional connection with a brand. The goal is to "touch" consumers and give them a "taste" of the brand through relevant messaging delivered through their preferred media and times. Examples include a road trip promotion for Nissan vehicles, an interactive virtual bartender game for beer.com that drove massive traffic, and ABC partnering with Apple to offer downloads of "Lost" the day after broadcasts. BTL marketing is becoming more important as consumer control increases with tools like DVRs, iPods, blogs and social media that

1. “Below the Line” Marketing
Engaging The Senses
July 2007

2. Questions
• What is BTL marketing?
• How does it effect consumers?
• How does it impact company’s
marketing plans?

3. What is “IT”?
• BTL is about engaging consumers and not
just talking to them
• We need to incent them to act and establish
an emotional bond with the brand
• Ensure relevant messaging that engages in
dialog through a preferred medium
• Multiple media, on many levels at different
times (their time)
• The end goal is to “touch” them and offer a
“taste” of the brand

4. Examples

5. Nissan

6. Nissan
• “Larger Than Life Road Trip” to support new
vehicle – www.liveversa.ca
• Mall Tour and online applications
• Ten participants for 21-day trip from Halifax
to Vancouver
• Competing for points in various challenges –
most win Nissan Versa
• Website carries daily videos and blog entries
from travelers
• Visitors who register on site enter draw for car

7. beer.com

8. beer.com
• Virtual Bartender interactive game
• 10 emails sent to friends of beer.com – 9:00 p.m.
and Midnight (July 4)
• No other form of marketing was used
• 75 sessions later that night
• 15,000 the following day
• 10,000,000 user sessions in 28 days – 7 minutes
per session on average
• Beer.com became the most popular website in
the world for the month of November 2004

9. Lost

10. Lost
• ABC partnered with Apple Computer
• Ad-free downloads of "Lost" and other shows
on Apple iTunes for $1.99
• Available day after initial broadcast
• Second stage was ad-supported online versions
• Show had been viewed three million times in
the first two weeks

11. TD Canada Trust

12. TD Canada Trust
• Bank sponsored Facebook group called “Money
Lounge”
• Youth targeted in very relevant space
• Offers audience another banking channel
• Users can interact with bank through valued
tools or through Facebook (The Wall or
Discussion Boards)
• While “sponsored” by TD Canada Trust,
ownership of group now placed on members

13. Not Always Online
• Molson – Steak in a case (M&M Meats)
• Sears – Scratch & Save
• Kelloggs – Pedometer gift with purchase
• Milk – “moo” campaign
• Old Navy – Hourly give-away in-store
• Irving – Cruise in 2 win
• Dell – Design your own notebook cover
• Jones Soda – Design your own label

14. Reaching Peoples Senses
• Sampling/trial
• Incentives
• Contests
• Loyalty programs
• Give-aways
• Instant wins
• Rebates/coupons
• Sweepstakes
• Surveys/tracking
• Unfinished advertising
• Owned content
• Prizing/promotional
partnerships
• Games (traditional and
interactive)
• Registration
• Text messages
• Microsites/branded sites
• Email blasts
• e-newsletters
• DRTV
• Product placement
• Merchandise
• 3rd party endorsement
• Media co-owned
• Word-of-mouth

15. Consumer Control
• They are turning off, speeding up, erasing, not
listening, or in another world
• Computers/Internet are the TV, product brochure,
support group, check-out counter, 3rd party
endorsement, destination, etc.
• Wireless, hand-held and mobile device explosion
• Web 2.0 – consumers are creating the content
• Social media – new meaning to human interaction
• e-Commerce – buying what you want when you want
• PVRs – watch what you want when you want
• iPODs – download personally chosen content
• Blogs/Vlogs/Podcasts – the consumer is the message

16. Realizing Business Realities
• Spending in traditional marketing vehicles is
decreasing
• Dollars and demands are directed to more
results driven and trackable activity
• ROI – need to see and justify spending
• Competitive pressures and technical shifts are
happening quickly and are to be reckoned with
• Consumers are demanding more
• Marketing efforts now need to present (see),
explain (hear), incent (smell), engage (touch),
and link (taste) consumers to the brand/product

17. Contact:
Sean Williams – Principal
(902)425-5519
williamsmarketing@ns.sympatico.ca