A is for Above the Line, B is for Below the line

These are real bugbears of mine. Above the Line and Below the Line are distinctions that are now effectively meaningless - or worse, unclear.

'Above the line' traditionally meant TV, Newspaper ads, Outdoor posters, Cinema, Radio. It apparently stemmed from the way Procter and Gamble were sold media in the 50's and 60's. Ad agencies were making so much from the sale of media in these channels, the production and creation of ideas were free - above the line. Everything else (Direct Mail) - where they charged for creative - wasn't. That's Wikipedia's answer, but it's not sourced. Anyone about with a different answer?

This is now manifestly not the case and hasn't been for bloody ages.
'Above the line' is usually now usually used (in my experience) to mean anything mass media, non person specific. 'Below the line' is usually used to mean communications delivered to a specific person - Direct mail, Email etc.

Using this separation: 'Above the Line and Below the line' is pointless and unclear. It's a hang over from old school media planning. It shouldn't reflect how media is planned, and it certainly shouldn't effect how we think about delivering ideas. The distinction is probably now more like a scale of personalization. From 'non personalised' to 'personal', though those words need work!

Thoughts, violent agreements/disagreements welcome.