In today’s cut-throat competition, below-the-line (BLT) promotions have become indispensable tools for both start-ups and large organizations, thanks to the low cost factor. It is also very timely, because we now live in an era of shrinking marketing budgets, and a global economic recession that has companies scrambling to cut costs.

According to Vijay Singh, MD & CEO of 141 Sercon, a below-the-line (BTL) promotion agency, the most telling benefits of BTL marketing include:

1. As brands move away from typical brand building strategies and start to focus more on marketing services, which ensure a sales uplift and is one of BTL's strenghts.

2. As corporate spending go down, brands look at focusing spending on targetted audiences and hence turn to BTL strategies like direct and one on one experiential marketing.

3. Are targeted at individual consumers, based on their expressed needs and preferences.

4. Issue a “call-to-action,” inspiring specific customer activity or tailored messages about a product or a brand.

5. Establish one-to-one relationships between consumers and marketers 

"It is everywhere and almost everyone is doing it yet to define the scope of BTL is quite a difficult task. While some include everything that is not mass media advertising in BTL promotions, others include only activities that are done for a certain class of consumers or target audience," Singh said.

BTL also 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 and entertainment events.

In line with this, local logistics company VCargo is set to conduct a FREE one day seminar on the virtues of adopting a BTL strategy in these trying times. Dubbed 'The Changing Face of Below the Line Marketing', the event will feature a discussion on BTL strategies by Leah Besa -Jimenez, General Manager of award winning marketing and advertising solutions company BBDO Proximity.

Slated for July 29, 2009 at the AIM Conference Center in Makati City, the event aims to give companies the basic tools needed to conduct an effective BTL campaign and is absolutely free. Interested parties may call Cheriifer M. Santos at 4810903 or through email at cherifer.santos@vcargo.com.ph to reserve one of the 50 available slots.