No move above the line - below the line

As I am pondering over the recent marketing trends survey we conducted for the agency, I realize that clients are no longer considering promotion as a below the line vehicle. It is all about consumer engagement. If the brand enjoys a solid awareness level, running a fully integrating promotion campaign can only enhance the level of engagement with that brand.

There was a time when as branding champions, we used to tell our clients not to rely too heavily on promotions fearing that it will erode the brand equity. But we now live in the day of internet. Internet is considered as one of the major promotions vehicles out there after good old direct mail, and unlike direct mail it yields nicely to enhanced imaging as well as up to the moment tracking.

I notice increasingly successful marketing campaigns out there that utilize promotion as major branding component. This tells me we should no longer look at promotion as a branding vehicle with considerable limitations but rather a essential part of the integrated marketing plan with its own brand engagement advantages. As marketers I see our main challenge is still to align each vehicle according to its functionality within the campaign. Of course, as always, it is the creative big idea that can offer the consumer a seamless brand experience despite any limitations of campaign elements.

Phew…it is even a mouthful to say at loud!