In marketing, “Above the Line” (ATL) refers to traditional, high-reach advertising measures that target a broad audience and are not primarily designed to generate direct, measurable interaction – such as TV, print, or large-scale online campaigns.
In the context of influencer marketing, “Above the Line” means that influencers are used more like traditional advertising channels: The focus is on reach, brand awareness, and image building, rather than on specific performance goals such as clicks or sales. The content is often more heavily branded, produced to a high standard, and more closely aligned with traditional advertising campaigns.

This can be the case, for example, when influencers are part of a large 360° campaign that also runs in parallel across TV, out-of-home, or print. In such cases, influencer content primarily serves to widely disseminate the brand message and create additional visibility, rather than delivering directly measurable results.