Campaigns & BTL.
The work — above the line and on the ground, run to one idea.
A campaign is above-the-line and below-the-line activity working to the same idea. Above-the-line (ATL) is paid media aimed at a broad, untargeted audience — television, radio, print, cinema and outdoor. Below-the-line (BTL) is direct, targeted activity aimed at a defined group in a defined place — sampling, in-store activation, roadshows, events and point-of-sale. We plan and produce both.
We have run ATL and BTL activity for Ferrero Rocher, Clorox, Sadia, Kitco, Silal Fresh, Acqua Panna, Bulduk, Leibniz Fruits, Yango and Coca-Cola, among many others, across the UAE and Pakistan.
At a glance
| Disciplines | ATL and BTL — campaign idea, media creative, on-ground activation |
| Markets | UAE and Pakistan, produced from the Dubai and Karachi studios |
| Scope | Scoped to the brief — we confirm the deliverable list with the client before work starts |
| Pricing | Quoted per campaign — driven by scale, duration, number of locations and production load |
What we produce
- ATL creative — TVC, radio, print, cinema and outdoor, all cut from one campaign idea
- BTL activation — sampling, in-store and mall activation, roadshows and experiential stands
- Point of sale — displays, standees and shelf systems designed for the retail environment they sit in
- Event and conference branding — the physical build and every graphic on it
- Campaign photography and film — the asset library every other channel then draws from
- Digital and social adaptation — the same idea resized and recut for the feed, not an afterthought
ATL and BTL are not competing budgets
They answer different questions. ATL asks how many people know the brand exists; BTL asks how many of them will pick it up. Splitting the two across separate agencies is what produces a TVC and a sampling stand that look like they belong to different companies — and it is the most common reason campaign spend underperforms in this region.
| Dimension | Above the line (ATL) | Below the line (BTL) |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Broad and untargeted | Defined, and physically reachable |
| Typical channels | TV, radio, print, cinema, outdoor | Sampling, in-store, roadshows, events, POS |
| What it buys | Reach and recall | Trial, conversion and first-party data |
| Measured by | Reach, frequency, brand recall | Footfall, samples, redemptions, sales |
| Lead time | Set by the media booking window | Set by permits, sites and staffing |
Retail is the hardest room to design for
An activation stand competes with everything else in a supermarket aisle at the same moment — other brands, other promoters, and a shopper who did not come in to talk to anyone. That constrains the design: one readable message at walking distance, a reason to stop that takes under two seconds to understand, and a build that survives being assembled and struck by different crews on consecutive days.
Where activation meets the rest of the work
Campaign work rarely stays in one discipline. The stand needs print and out-of-home production, the shelf needs packaging that holds up next to it, the asset library comes from photography and film, and the whole idea has to survive being cut down for social. Running those from one studio is the point of the structure.
Campaign questions — ATL, BTL and what activation costs.
What is the difference between ATL and BTL advertising?
Above-the-line (ATL) advertising is paid media aimed at a broad, untargeted audience — television, radio, print, cinema and outdoor. Below-the-line (BTL) is direct, targeted activity aimed at a defined group in a defined place — sampling, in-store activation, roadshows, events, point-of-sale and direct response. ATL buys reach and recall; BTL buys trial, conversion and data. Steer Media plans and produces both.
What does a BTL activation include?
A below-the-line activation is on-ground work in the places customers already are — product sampling in supermarkets and malls, in-store and shelf activation, roadshows, experiential stands, point-of-sale and display systems, and the event branding around them. It is measured in footfall, samples handed over, redemptions and sales rather than in reach.
Which brands have you run campaign and activation work for?
Steer Media has run ATL and BTL activity for Ferrero Rocher, Clorox, Sadia, Kitco, Silal Fresh, Acqua Panna, Bulduk, Leibniz Fruits, Yango and Coca-Cola, among many others, across the UAE and Pakistan.
Do you run campaigns in both the UAE and Pakistan?
Yes. Campaign work is planned and produced from our Dubai and Karachi studios, which means a single idea can run in both markets without being rebuilt from scratch for each one, and on-ground activation is handled by a team that is already in the market.
How much does a brand activation cost?
Activation work is quoted per campaign rather than from a rate card. The cost is driven by the scale of the activity — how many locations, how many days, how much staffing, and how much production the stands, point-of-sale and campaign assets require. Send us the brief and we will price it.
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