30 years? Not literally… Let me explain.
There is a story about Picasso and a restaurant and a napkin. It is widely debated whether the story is true; however, regardless of whether or not it really happened, it helps to illustrate a valuable point. As the story goes, Picasso was having a drink in a restaurant in Paris, when another patron recognized him. She approached and asked if he would draw a sketch for her on his napkin, promising to pay him whatever he thought it was worth. He obliged and quickly drew a sketch for her, handed it to her and asked for the sum of $10,000 Francs. Shocked at the amount, the Patron exclaimed, “But it only took you a few minutes to draw!” Picasso then answered, “No madam, that took me a lifetime.”
We live in a time of extreme instant gratification. You can shop from your living room sofa, watch any movie you want whenever you want, and your lunch order will be delivered to your door in 15 minutes. I talk with many people who have the same expectations about their careers. Unfortunately, as the Picasso story illustrates, the undeniable truth is that it takes time – often decades – to reach the point where you can make your profession look easy.
Marketing is no different. I’m not at all comparing myself to Picasso. However, there is a big difference between having a job in marketing and becoming a professional marketer, able to make intricate marketing decisions appear as smooth as a well-rehearsed symphony.
The world of marketing is a complex realm that demands a blend of creativity, data science, business acumen, psychology, and a touch of intuitive finesse. It’s not just about setting up flashy ad campaigns or flooding social media feeds; it’s about understanding the nuances of human behavior, market trends, and the ever-evolving landscape of technology. Most professionals in any field will tell you that they are never finished learning, never finished working to perfect their art. I’ve been working at the art and science of marketing for over 30 years and I still have a lot to learn.
My journey wasn’t a straight path at all. There have been many hard lessons along with the big wins. Technology and tactics have changed dramatically since I started in the early 1990’s (no internet, no email, no cell phones, no social media!) In the early days of my career, I was like a sponge, absorbing every nugget of wisdom from some amazing mentors and experienced marketing experts, who I was fortunate to be around. Over the years I gathered additional responsibility, worked in several different industries with different products, sales cycles, and distribution processes. I’ve worked in Fortune 50 companies and in companies with 100 employees–B2C and B2B and B2B2C. It took a long time before I was able to make a decision that seemed effortless to others, because I had already weathered the storm of countless trials, failures, and successes. What appears simple on the surface is often a symphony of strategic thinking, meticulous planning, and countless iterations behind the scenes.
What sets a professional marketer apart? How do they anticipate trends before they even make it to the mainstream? How do they know with a sense of certainty what will work in the marketplace and what will not? How do they look at a page of data and pick out the key insights? One of the keys to success is a developed sense of marketing intuition, some might call it gut instinct. This intuition or instinct is not magic, it is not some innate gift bestowed at birth. It is the product of years and years of experience and learning, that have encoded themselves in your subconscious. Sometimes you don’t even know why you know, you just know. When you’ve spent decades immersed in the ever-shifting tides of consumer behavior, you develop an uncanny knack for predicting what’s around the corner.
In the digital age, data is king. But data alone can only take you so far and you often have to make decisions with incomplete, imperfect, or missing data. That’s where intuition comes into play. The gut feeling honed through years of trial and error, success and failure – it’s what transforms raw data into actionable insights. It’s the art of fusing cold hard numbers with a sixth sense for what will resonate with your audience.
This is the journey that I have been on for over 30 years. As you navigate your own career odyssey, remember that expertise and professionalism are the result of time and effort, trials and triumphs. Embrace the learning curve, befriend the data, trust your intuition, and never underestimate the power of diverse experiences. When it comes to making marketing decisions that look easy, there’s no substitute for the rich tapestry of knowledge woven through years of learning in the crucible of the marketplace.
