What is below the line marketing, how it benefits you, and where to use it.

1. BELOW THE LINE
MARKETING STRATEGIES
Duane “DJ” Sprague

2. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Non traditional marketing and promotions
• Typically does not require or depend on paid media
• The focus is on owned, earned, and shared media
• Performance metrics are not the typical cost per point, cost per thousand
or cost per impression
• Performance metrics are often geared toward measuring audience
engagement, brand preference, viral sharing, word of mouth, social
media buzz, and trade and media pick-ups and coverage
What is Below the Line Marketing?

3. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Creates goodwill
• Differentiates the brand in the eyes of the market and the media
• Creates stronger bonds between the brand and the market
• Establishes momentum well beyond a paid media schedule
• The driving force behind owned, earned and shared media
Benefits of Below the Line Marketing

4. 08 / 19 / 2013
Types of Below the Line Marketing
1. Viral Marketing
2. Buzz Marketing
3. Crowd Sourcing
4. Social Media Marketing
5. Lifestyle Marketing
6. Events
7. Sponsorships
8. Product Placement
9. Public Relations
9. Experiential Marketing
10. Brand Communities
11. Cause Marketing
12. Brand Ambassadors
13. Affiliate Marketing
14. Content Marketing

5. 08 / 19 / 2013
Viral Marketing
• The organization creates fun, intriguing, entertaining, controversial,
educational or helpful content, and sends it out over the internet for the
market to find and spread further using their own social media and email
networks
– Videos
– Widgets
– Reports
– Photographs

6. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Word of mouth advertising is spread by Brand Ambassadors, Advocates
or Champions
• Advocates and Champions are individual brand fanatics who work to
spread the word on their own volition, and do not officially represent the
brand
• Ambassadors officially represent the brand (rewards, incentives).These
are social media mavens who are influential with the target audience, and
already have a large audience of followers.They have a high Klout score
of 80 plus
• A Buzz specialist will find, manage and motivate a team of Ambassadors
to get them talking about the brand, who will get others talking about it
• Examples: American Eagle and college kids
Buzz Marketing

7. 08 / 19 / 2013
• The organization asks the market to create and submit their own works,
ideas, resources, and content to a central website or resource, where it is
made available to others to see and download
• Often times incentives are offered the market to submit their content:
– Sweepstakes
– Contest
– Free product
Crowd Sourcing

8. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Organization creates their own content, comments, and links to helpful
resources, and posts them on their own SM channels for others to see
• Organizations comment on other peoples content and posts, with links
back to their own
• Organizations find influential people in their market to follow, and hope
they follow them back
• Organization create contests and sweepstakes to drive traffic to their SM
channels, and create more followers and “likes”
Social Media Marketing

9. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Identifying marketing methods or advertising opportunities associated
or tied to the hobbies, interests and entertainment venues of the target
audience
– Collaborative marketing
– Sponsoring experts, bloggers, influencers
– Ads in niche publications, forums, blogs or websites
Lifestyle Marketing

10. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Concerts
• Sporting events
• Product demonstrations
• Conferences
• Keynote and guest speaking
• Ride and drives
Events, Sponsorships and Experiential

11. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Getting products placed, referenced, used or mentioned in movies,TV
shows, articles, books, viral videos, events, games, sports
Product Placement

12. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Writing and disseminating press releases
• Writing and disseminating feature articles
• Media relations
• Story pitches to beat writers and editors
• Community events:
– Cause related marketing
– Event Marketing
– Sponsorships:
• People
• Teams
• Group
• Vehicle
Public Relations

13. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Combines direct marketing, field marketing and sales promotions into a
single event
• Direct marketing through interactive means that give consumers a hands-
on experience such as:
– Test drives
– Sampling
– Tours
– Events
• Concerts
• Fairs
• Conferences and Expos
Experiential Marketing

14. 08 / 19 / 2013
• A community of brand advocates that are linked together through
common brand experiences, and/or share a symbolic meaning behind
the brand.The identity and belonging are formed through interactions
between customers and with the product. A set of shared values and
experiences that integrate with feelings about the brand becomes the
result
• Think of Harley-Davidson and the rally rides. Jeep and the Jeep
Jamborees and Camp Jeep Events. Apple also has a strong brand
community with conferences, blogs, etc.
• Building a brand community starts with sponsoring events and online
communities that bring product owners together.There must be unique
or special benefits to the members, like discounts, information, insider
tips, pre-releases, input on product development, etc.
Brand Communities

15. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Ties marketing activities and or profits with a charitable organization or
and underserved or disenfranchised group in order to generate goodwill
and earned and shared media
• The receiving organization or recipients must be aligned with the
interests and sympathies of the target market to be effective
Cause Marketing

16. 06 / 06 / 2013
Brand Ambassadors
• Influential people that use and promote the product to peers and
followers
– Bloggers
– Experts
– Social media mavens
– Students
– Local talent and celebrities

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• Owners of popular websites and blogs that promote the product for a
commission on each unit sold through their website
Affiliate Marketing

18. 08 / 19 / 2013
• Helpful branded content that solves a problem for the target audience,
and positions the brand as a subject matter expert:
– eBooks
– Videos
– White papers
– Articles
– Podcasts
– Webinars
– Blog posts
Content Marketing