IMC, ATL & BTL
Integrated Marketing Communications:
Integrated marketing
communications (IMC) is an approach to brand communications where the different
modes work together to create a seamless experience for the customer and are
presented with a similar tone and style that reinforces the brand’s core
message. Its goal is to make all aspects of marketing communication such as
advertising, sales promotion, public relations direct marketing, online
communications and social media work together as a unified force, rather than
permitting each to work in isolation, which maximizes their cost effectiveness.
IMC is becoming more
significant in marketing practice because of the reduced cost effectiveness of
mass media and media fragmentation. As consumers spend more time online and on
mobile devices all exposures of the brand need to tie together so they are more
likely to be remembered. Increasingly the strategies of brands cannot be
understood by looking solely at their advertising. Instead they can be
understood by seeing how all aspects of their communications ecosystem work
together and in particular how communications are personalized for each
customer and react in real time, as in a conversation.
How IMC
helps:
1. It can create
competitive advantage, boost sales and profits, while saving money, time and
stress.
2. IMC wraps
communications around customers and helps them move through the various stages
of the buying process. The organization simultaneously consolidates its image,
develops a dialogue and nurtures its relationship with customers.
3. This 'Relationship
Marketing' cements a bond of loyalty with customers which can protect them from
the inevitable onslaught of competition. The ability to keep a customer for
life is a powerful competitive advantage.
4. IMC also increases
profits through increased effectiveness
5. Carefully linked
messages also help buyers by giving timely reminders, updated information and
special offers which, when presented in a planned sequence, help them move
comfortably through the stages of their buying process
6. Finally, IMC saves
money as it eliminates duplication in areas such as graphics and photography
since they can be shared and used in say, advertising, exhibitions and sales
literature.
7. IMC also makes
messages more consistent and therefore more credible. This reduces risk in the
mind of the buyer which, in turn, shortens the search process and helps to
dictate the outcome of brand comparisons.
Above the line
(ATL), below the line (BTL)
In the organizational business and marketing
communications, are advertising techniques, or different strategies companies
use to sell their products. In a nutshell, while ATL communications use media
that are broadcast and published to mass audiences, BTL communications use
media that are more niches focused. While both ATL and BTL communications can
be used to either build brand awareness or drive sales through specific offers
(promotions), it is BTL communication that gives the marketer the ability to
tailor their messaging in a more personal manner to the audience.
ATL(Above The
Line) Promotion:
ATL is a type of advertising through
media such as television, cinema, radio, print, and Out-of-home to promote
brands or convey a specific offer. This type of communication is conventional
in its nature and is considered impersonal to customers. It differs from BTL
advertising, which uses unconventional brand-building and promotional
strategies, such as direct mail, sales promotions, flyers, point-of-sale,
telemarketing and printed media (for example brochures) – and usually involves
no motion graphics. It is much more effective than when the target group is
very large and difficult to define.
BTL (Below
The Line) Promotion:
BTL sales promotion is an immediate or
delayed incentive to purchase, expressed in cash or in kind, and having short
duration. It is efficient and cost-effective for targeting a limited and
specific group. It uses less conventional methods than the usual ATL channels
of advertising, typically focusing on direct means of communication, most commonly
direct mail and e-mail, often using highly targeted lists of names to maximize
response rates. BTL services may include those for which a fee is agreed upon
and charged up front.
BTL is a common
technique used for "touch and feel" products (consumer items where
the customer will rely on immediate information rather than previously
researched items). BTL techniques ensure recall of the brand while at the same
time highlighting the features of the product.
Another BTL technique
involves sales personnel deployed at retail stores near targeted products. This
technique may be used to generate trials of newly launched products. It helps
marketers establish one-to-one relationship with consumers while mass promotions,
by definition, make it difficult to gauge consumer-response, except at the time
of sales. Examples include tele-marketing, road shows, promotions, in- shop and
shop-front activities, display units.
