4 signs that you’re not actually a marketing ninja

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“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” – Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

Marketers love hyperbole, and when we ran out of superlatives like guru, expert, and maven, we turned to sillier superlatives like ninja. However, like many foreign loan-words, you have to be careful about using it. Here are 4 signs you’re not actually a ninja, and therefore probably shouldn’t use the word in your marketing efforts unless you want to be laughed at a whole lot.

1. You can’t spell or say ninjutsu correctly. In fact, the Japanese language escapes you.

2. You don’t practice the martial art of ninjutsu. There’s one surviving lineage of ninjutsu, from Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi of Noda City, Japan, and his many students around the planet including my teacher, Mark Davis of the Boston Martial Arts Center, and his teacher, Stephen K. Hayes. If you seriously claim to be a ninja, you had better be training at an actual ninjutsu dojo.

3. You don’t know what ninja were actually good at. Most ninja, during their miserable “golden age” (hey, who wants to be a refugee from the losing side of one of the civil wars that will be killed on sight?) were information gatherers, not assassins or martial arts experts. A webinar by an actual ninja would be highly interactive, where the presenter never presented any actual content but just kept asking the crowd for information for 45 minutes in one giant Q&A session.

4. You feature ninja outfits in your marketing. The black martial arts do-gi isn’t something historical ninja ever wore. Ever. It’s a holdover from Japanese theater – the stage hands and prop handlers wore them so as not to distract the audience. What did real ninja wear? Well, if your goal is secrecy and blending in, you wore what everyone else wore. Today, you’d be wearing a business suit or a sweater and jeans or whatever’s normal in your part of the world. The keyword is: boring. Your appearance as an actual ninja should be so boring and unappealing that no one even wants to look at you. I suppose a true social media ninja would wear a blazer and jeans.

It’s a tribute to the modern day ninja masters like Hatsumi sensei or An-Shu Hayes that the word ninja is held in such general high regard. For centuries in Japan, being called a ninja was right up there with being called a mercenary, thief, or prostitute. Now it’s being used by marketers everywhere. That’s some great marketing for you!

Bonus: if you’re a real ninja, you know why this post only has 4 tips.

Comments

9 responses to “4 signs that you’re not actually a marketing ninja”

January 26, 2012

Chris Matthews

I’m a registered Ninja and I approve this message.

Reply
January 26, 2012

Anonymous

Thanks for this, Christopher. There’s been a lot of hype
about “experts,” “gurus,” etc., and while those terms have been greatly flushed out, terms like “ninja,” Samurai,” and
“back belt,” haven’t been debated as much. When used as cheap
marketing ploys, they have an added issue beyond sensationalism and hyping one’s
“knowledge” of a craft (as in, “expert”) – and that is, the misunderstanding of what the terms mean, and how they don’t apply to marketing, social media, etc. Marketers
often earn a bad name for misrepresenting themselves or the product/companies
they represent. I feel marketing – like a lot of trades – needs a facelift, and
the cure for this is to do our research, sell only what we are, and BE what we
sell. Transparency has become very important in recent years. I
hope more people begin to see this as part of that transparency.

Reply
January 26, 2012

Anonymous

I, too, loathe the overuse of ‘ninja’, ‘rockstar’, and ‘guru’. On a related note (and I’m being serious – I want to make sure this isn’t coming across as sarcasm): what if you’re good at what you do? On the MoC podcast, I’ve heard you chuckle at the term ‘social media expert’. What if you’ve been a practitioner for a while, know the space, know what to do, and not to do. How does one position oneself?

Reply
1. January 26, 2012
  
  Anonymous
  
  If I may – the “expert” term – while traditionally legitimate for those who truly posses a high level of expertise – has been vilified and mocked so badly by fakers, it’s now difficult to get by with. I prefer something neutral like “strategist,” which doesn’t imply a level of skill, but merely describes what one does. One’s results and reputation speaks for their level of skill.
  
  As well, many feel the terms, “expert,” “master,” and “guru,” imply a lack humility. Obviously, what we title ourselves greatly impacts our appeal to prospects, so these things should be considered.
  
  Reply
  1. January 26, 2012
    
    Anonymous
    
    I like to simply say that I know what I do. I agree with if one walks around and calls themselves a ninja or guru or what have you, then there’s an element of stink there.I’m less disgusted with that than I am the people that criticize the people for doing that. So what? They’re only embarrassing themselves. It’s a waste of time.
    
    Reply
    1. January 26, 2012
      
      Josh Humble
      
      Thanks for your reply, abelniak. I view this as peer critique, which is a must for personal and industry growth. There’s no law or regulation against someone calling themselves an “exert” or “ninja,” nor would I want their to be. Peer dissent and advocacy for excellence in best practices is how to make this change. I’m an advocate for both my clients and the industries I work in, so while I’m not trying to control anyone or mandate certain practices, I’m simply voicing my disagreement.
      
      As for the big expert debate last year (similar to the ninja issue), a lot of industries have gained a bad rep for snake oil and black hat practices often led by fake “experts.” Those speaking out against bad practices aren’t necessarily trying to control others or be condescending or judgmental. They’re simply trying to make their industry better and looking out for their customers and prospects.
      
      BTW: I have friends in marketing who are GREAT at what they do, and they’re super people, but some call themselves ninjas, rockstars, etc. This obviously doesn’t make them bad at what they do, and I know they feel it works for them. I just disagree with it. The real danger is with all the “expert” and “ninja” phonies – those who DO NOT know anything about the craft they claim, misleading our prospective clients and trashing industries.
      
      Reply
January 26, 2012

BrandonUttley

Chris, I am not a ninja. However, I am actively training in Eskrima, the combative system that originated in the Philippines. So I do hope to be able to kick a ninja’s a** someday. Plus I also get to wear a sleek black outfit, though sadly it includes no headband or facial covering.

Reply
January 27, 2012

Ipj Robson

Great blog Christopher. I really liked your third point about what Ninjas were good at. I suppose it is the reason you got into Social Media, information gathering. Anyways, keep up the great work.

Reply
January 29, 2012

Laurel Papworth

Ack, you should add “that the popular use of the term Ninja comes from MMORPGs, in the same way Zerg and Pwned do, and have nothing to do with Japanese martial arts”. It’s long been a term in virtual worlds and online communities (and now hijacked by social media “ninjas”). It has a very specific connotation – not just the best but the most innovative and rule-breaking. Please note: you have to spend waaay to many hours on World of Warcraft and other MMOs to get the hilarity of hearing Marketing hijack the ninja term in the same way they hijacked , lol and Game On. 🙂 🙂

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