Working for a company like Balihoo, which offers local marketing software, really has its perks. One of those perks is the Friday coffee and bagel run which is part of the unique Balihoo culture. I was on today's trip that I realized the similarities between my amazing bagel sandwich and the marketing plans we often help build and execute as part of our integrated marketing strategy for clients.

You can have this amazing vehicle, in this case a sesame bagel, that then encompasses all these interesting and interchangeable pieces that make up the whole. Those ingredients, or media types, can be selected and combined to make the perfect sandwich that appeals to the consumer/customer. Maybe you have a combination of cream cheese, egg and tomato, but you find the tomato just isn't working. No problem, you can switch it out for sun dried tomatoes and olives.  It is much the same with a marketing plan. The right combination of ingredients, or media types, combine to most effectively drive business in a given market. If email, combined with radio and cable isn't working, you can switch out the cable with direct mail and come up with a more effective or winning combination.

It's every planners dream....the perfect marketing bagel sandwich!