Talent?

If you listened to Age of Persuasion last week, you got a glimpse of two marketing styles -- Ogilvy, which has perfected a system and DDB, which relies on the guts. Both effective and strategic agencies. Just different styles.
My own experience tells me that great marketing relies on three T's: Technique, Time, Talent.
I had a little personal experience on Saturday that reinforced these three "T's".
I took a painting lesson.
Now, to make sure you don't misunderstand my story: I do not have, have never had, continue not to have any training, experience or talent. But I had an idea.
So I took my idea to an expert and asked her to help me do it..... Donna (my expert friend and amazing artist) bravely took on the task.
I presented my story board for 4 large paintings I wanted to do. I even sketched them in a book aptly titled: "Sketch Book." Just so that you're still with me, pencil sketches in a book titled "Sketch Book" are not necessarily sketches.
But to Donna's credit, she caught the idea.
So over the next 2 hours I expected to learn the technique and accomplish a painting.
At one point, during a quick colour lesson, Donna did mutter under her breath that some people studied this for years. I think she was suggesting that my desire to accomplish it in an hour was unrealistic.
Mostly what I accomplished was producing a brown, four letter word, colour product. I produced a lot of it and in varying shades. I also used about $35 of acrylics to produce it (she didn't let me buy brushes yet).
In that two hours I learned -- or learned again -- what I often say about desk top publishing programs, self-made marketers and quick fixes to difficult communication problems: Technique + Time + Talent = Great Marketing.
1. There is a technique (like Ogilvy learned) that works. Donna had mastered the technique. Confident strokes of red, yellow, white, and blue created this amazing tree -- on her canvas. It had depth, shadows, contours, light. Mine was just -- well, thick slashes of that four letter word colour. Rules, test cases, algorithms, demographic research, focus groups (++++++) contribute to a technical knowledge base that informs marketing strategies and increases effectiveness.
2. Then there is time. Time usually indicates experience. Donna has been drawing, painting, illustrating and creating for about 40 years. She spent four years of dedicated educational time in fine arts, experimenting, playing with colour, learning about light, discovering new ideas. I watched for about 10 minutes and tried my hand. And, I admit, patience isn't my greatest attribute. But 15 slashes on a canvas don't constitute "time." In marketing, the experienced marketer learns what works and what doesn't. I know that a clear, concise, focused product offer increases sales -- even though I like complex creativity. If the client is evaluating the marketing strategy on revenue earned, I need to lay down the obscure creativity and sell. There is no replacement for the intelligence of time.
3. Finally, there is talent. Donna sees the images, the colour, the shadows in her head. Her brain and her wrist and her fingers are connected in a way that the brush strokes create art. My brain does not have that connection. I did manage to create an interesting splatter paint on the floor (although Donna washed most of it off because it tended toward looking like that four letter compound). Great marketers know the technique and have mastered it. They have experienced success and failure and understand the difference and the reasons. Plus they have a gut for it. They have an intuitive sense of understanding the nature of inspiring and motivating action. They are able to take all of the things they have learned and know and make it work.
Many people I know are arm chair advertising experts. They just "know" when a commercial works. Interestingly, many of them are wrong. You see, they've used the things they "like" to define marketing that works. They haven't learned the techniques or seen the results to evaluate the effectiveness or have the innate talent.
I'm not going to be an artist in 6, 3 hour lessons. Not even Donna can make that happen. But I have more than 15 years of marketing technique, experience and, I think, some talent!