w a l k t h e l i n e

The History of ‘Above the line’ vs. ‘Below the line’(not that it matt ers in the current marketplace,

except as a frame of reference for today’s ‘unstrung’

digital universe)

Strategic Creativity

In the beginning, in that mindful mecca of marketing - P & G - there was the LINE. It was the bottom line of the brand manager's annual budget.

Those things 'above the line' were marketing activities considered essential to a brand's success in the course of a year. Those things 'below the line' were non-essential,

discretionary activities that may or may not be required… depending on…well, depending on a lot of things.

Let’s look at how the original laws were laid down, and how they have changed with the

passing of time…

T A C T I C S

S T R A T E G Y

above the line

below the line

Strategy = smartTactics = necessary

Say no more

S T R A T E G Y

T A C T I C S

above the line

below the line

Marketing was far from “integrated”. Different

specialties were separated into different lines of business

BROADCAST

NARROWCAST

S T R A T E G Y

T A C T I C S

above the line

below the line

Broadcast vs. Narrowcast? Cluster bomb vs. sniper?

Collateral damage vs. precision?

S T R A T E G Y

BROADCAST

NARROWCAST

T A C T I C S

the prevailing attitude below the line

the prevailing attitude above the line

Hmm… different strokes for different folks. Rather puts the cat among the pigeons,

doesn’t it?

S T R A T E G Y

BROADCAST

NARROWCAST

T A C T I C S

above the line

below the line

“Knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world - not in a closet.”

Lord Chesterfield

S T R A T E G Y

BROADCAST

NARROWCAST

T A C T I C S

Brands rule! But which approach is more engaging? (CLUE: great brands inspire

emotional commitment)brandmarketing

customerrelationshipmarketing

What has taken place over time is that 'above the line' initiatives have lost much of their allure - for a lot of reasons, including cost, changing tastes in media, and lack of trust in big

business. Meanwhile, the resourceful folks ‘below the line’ have experimented with all kinds of innovative, non-traditional ways of reaching customers. The balance of power has shifted. Accordingly, the 'above the line' folks have become interested in extending business 'below

the line' . However, let's look at what has often happened when they have tried

to do so...

S T R A T E G Y

BROADCAST

NARROWCAST

T A C T I C S

brandmarketing

customerrelationshipmarketing

What the *#@!?You can’t get there

from here?

There is an unwritten rule that it’s not possible to go from 'above the line' to 'below the line‘.

Why? Because 'below the line‘ initiatives require a different kind of attitude - hands-on, project-based, results-focused -

it’s an attitude that’s difficult to embrace once one has tasted the delicious fruit and agency-of-record budgets 'above the line‘.

However….

S T R A T E G Y

BROADCAST

NARROWCAST

T A C T I C S

brand

marketing

customerrelationshipmarketing

Movin’ on up. We finally got a piece of the pie!

Ahah! It is possible to go from 'below the line' to 'above the line'.

All it takes is starting from the bottom, letting your clients educate you about the realities of running a marketing and sales organization, then building on that

educated foundation - broadening your horizons to encompass the larger perspective that ‘above the line’ responsibilities open up to you.

And never forgetting where you came from.

Actually, in the end, we’re all meeting 'at the line' today via the new line of communication that is the World Wide Web. And who do you think is going to have more skill and understanding to

walk the line? (Even a monkey knows that!)

Andrew Crighton127 Kingswood Road

Toronto, Ontariom 4 e 3 n 4

C A N A D Aac@iprimate.com

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