below-the-line

Definition:
Defines ADVERTISING MEDIA which do not pay MEDIA COMMISSION to advertising agencies buying space or time from them. The 'line' is a purely imaginary boundary between those which do and do not, a distinction generally believed to have been first made by Procter & Gamble in the nineteen-fifties. The commission-paying media above the line are newspapers, magazines, television, radio, posters and cinema. Since the distinction is historically between two sets of advertising vehicles, one would expect the below-the-line category to contain such minor media as directories, yearbooks, matchbooks and (for the present) the Internet, none of which offers the commission discount. In practice, however, a 'below-the-line campaign' turns out to have deployed the non-advertising ingredients of the MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MIX, particularly sales promotion and direct mail. The ADVERTISER'S ANNUAL confuses the issue further; by implying that two other ingredients, public relations and sponsorship, belong with advertising while separating sales promotion as an external service to the advertising business. It is not at all unusual to read reports of a 'below-the-line advertising campaign, strictly speaking a contradiction in terms. A clearer definition and more precise usage would be welcome. See also ABOVE-THE-LINE.

Cross-References:
[advertising media] [media commission] [above-the-line] [marketing communications mix] [Advertiser's Annual]

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