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Low Budget Pr: The Secrets Of The Ninja 忍者
PART 1
What is your modus operandi when it comes to publicity? Are you a student of antiquity pledging your allegiance to old tried and true methods - or have you contemplated doing the unspeakable – tossing caution to the wind and winging it? Well, if you do not have a publicity strategy you should come up with one soon.
Perhaps – being the savvy entrepreneur that you are – you should consider incorporating the secrets of the ninja. With growing interest in ancient Asian war strategy (i.e. ancient Indian strategist Kautilya, Sun Tzu’s Ping Fa or the Art of War, and the work of, Wu Ch’i, Tu Mu and Cao Cao) applied to business, you would think that more entrepreneurs would apply those same principles to the whimsical world of publicity.
Truth is, a few people in your shoes have considered integrating the dark arts of the ninja into their current publicity campaign. The best part of doing so (aside from it being absolutely free) is that those who have done such have seen a significant boost in their publicity productivity. So…let me ask you something – are you ready for a publicity lesson that will inevitably change your life? Good, because you’re about to get one.
History has attributed the legacy of the Japanese ninja to the teachings of ancient Chinese strategists like Sun Tzu, notable poet/strategist Tu Mu for his insight on mind control and of course the unknown author of the Thirty-Six Strategems.
While each touched on the advantages of psychological warfare, Tu Mu hid his ideas on strategy in his poetry. His work discussed how you could figuratively turn a person out and persuade them to go against the grain bending them to your will. The ninja took the ideas of Tu Mu among other strategists and expanded upon them. The end result was the perfection of their strategy on the insights into the human mind and how to manipulate, distort or influence it. Take the history of the ninja for example.
7th century Japan, Prince Shotoku Taishi (also known as Prince Umayato) was contestant to the throne, with a bloodline linked directly to the empress, this was his destiny. However his success was solely dependent on him receiving information of which he had no knowledge of how to acquire. The greatest challenge stemmed from the dissension within the royal court over how Japan should be governed. With time running out, and hardly any allies, Shotoku’s succession to the throne was at stake.
His nemesis, the traitor, Moriya managed to single-handedly manipulate the royal court, swaying them in opposition of Shotoku. Knowledge of Moriya’s exploits was essential. After spinning his wheels and getting absolutely nowhere, Shotoku sought the guidance of a mountain warrior monk named Otomo-No-Saijin. With a plethora of tricks up his sleeve, Otomo used the Chinese warfare techniques of stealth, subterfuge intelligence gathering, and mind manipulation to form a strategy with Shotoku while simultaneously spying on Moriya.
A mind master, Otomo took the unprepared Moriya on a psychological journey that led to his death while Shotoku walked down the yellow brick road of success, becoming the Crown Prince of Japan forever making his indelible mark on Japanese history. For this, Otomo was honored by Shotoku and given a new name as a gift. From that point on he was called shinobi (志能備) which means, “one who sneaks in”- a pioneer of the ninja sennin.
By the 14th century the word shinobi referred to warriors who used unorthodox tactics - completely opposite the ruling samurai who followed a code of honor. The shinobi (ninja) were rogue mountain warriors of feudal Japan – the ever ready hired hands of the ruling daimyo who would carry out tasks such as intelligence gathering, mind trickery, espionage, and assassination; of which the samurai would not do.
The legacy of Otomo-no-Saijin made possible the way of the ninja, for it was he who was the first of his kind in Japan to employ the mind bending techniques of the Chinese masters. Like their Chinese predecessors (i.e. the Shaolin monks), employed psychological warfare on their enemies at all times, hitting them where they were the most vulnerable and the least able to defend themselves – through those human insecurities that we all have (fear, lust, anger, greed, sympathy and superstition). It took the ninja 100 years to develop and refine the ways of eradicating an enemy through the exploitation of psychological weakness. At the end of it all they realized for every one way to physically attack a target, there were ten ways to attack his mind, which is why psychological warfare was preferred over assassination.
So what does this history lesson have to do with your publicity campaign? Hold on…let me break it down for you. A ninja entrepreneur (or entrepreneurial ninja) would employ psychological tactics that targeted their niche consumer base (this includes but is not limited to marketing, promotions, and publicity – the components of public relations). The entrepreneur would focus on providing the consumer a solution that they seek and need – hence your product (because your product not only fulfills a need to your consumer but it also solves a nagging problem.)
PART 2
Just like the ninja refined the art of psychological warfare, you will borrow from those techniques forming a strategy of your own, but it won’t take you 100 years to do it. Keep in mind the following: for every one marketing method that you use to reach your consumer there are at least ten subliminal ways to real them in. Are you still with me? Psychological triggers are one such subliminal method used today by businesses worldwide. A psychological trigger is a form of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) that uses an image, symbol or word causing the mind of the consumer to subconsciously trigger responses in favor of a product, company or service. The mind becomes a playing field for the business owner and a sponge for the consumer soaking in every psychological trigger thrown their way. Psychological triggers used constantly generates a sense of familiarity, trust and eventually comfort within the target consumer, so much so that whenever they think of comfort they will instantly think of your company, because whatever the eye sees, the mind believes. If you do not believe it – check this out. You are bombarded by a series of psychological triggers several times per day on a subliminal level.
Whether through advertisements on television or on the radio, these messages invade your subconscious mind often inspiring you to buy certain items that you may or may not need. If you pack your publicity campaign with a series of psychological triggers, your target niche group will be more receptive to what you are selling and less resistant to your propaganda. The psychological trigger becomes a tool of brand loyalty and word of mouth publicity. This is not only an important component of publicity but of mind mastery as well. You have to become a master of your own mind before you can begin to influence the minds of consumers. But once you do, believe me the sky’s the limit.
A relative of the psychological trigger is the second tactic of embedded suggestions. The clever entrepreneur realizes that it is through use of embedded language that he or she can influence their target niche. Let’s say you’re selling a product on stress relief called Peaceful Aromas Fragrance Oil ( this is corny – I know, but work with me).
The intent is to get the consumer to associate relaxation and stress relief (something that they absolutely need) with your product. The words that you choose to embed in your press release /promotional material will have a powerful effect and can easily lead your reader to a particular state of mind and/or series of experiences by triggering images produced by the subconscious mind. Let me further illustrate this point by using embedded commands.
If you know anything about commands, then you already know that they are delivered quite differently than a question. Most people think that a command is delivered with force. That is not necessarily true. A command is delivered with emphasis on certain words and when using your speaking voice use of a descending pitch or tone will be delivered and processed as a command. With writing it is slightly different. The more invisible it is to your reader the better – keep this in mind when you write your press materials. In general embedded suggestions are powerful phrases that are undetectable.
Here are a few examples to better illustrate how they are used. These commands will correspond with the product on stress relief that we referred to earlier. So here we go!
-“You will feel better if you use Peaceful Aromas.”
- “If you’d like me to help you, send me an email first.”
Can you see where the embedded commands are? In the first statement the command is “use peaceful aromas.” In the second statement, the command is “send me an email first.” So, if your reader is looking for ways to deal with stress, the embedded commands have instructed him or her to use your product but to send you an email for help first. That is how the human brain interprets embedded information. The good thing about embedded suggestions is that they always work because they are embedded on a subconscious level in such a way that no one can resist. The effect that the embedded suggestion has on your consumer is always positive. The consumer acts on the suggestion that you’ve implanted completely buying into your product as if they are acting on instinct.
Yet another way of psychologically targeting your niche is via therapeutic metaphor. A therapeutic metaphor story has the capability to completely shift the perception of your consumer – swaying him or her in the direction that you lead them. In a nutshell, it encompasses the art of suggestive storytelling as a means of influence. Indeed, embedded suggestions can be strategically layered throughout the story because people always see themselves in a story. When you go to the movies you might see part of your personality in one or more of the characters. That would explain part of the attraction to the movie in the first place. A metaphor is no different. Just like in any story, your target consumer can and will see themselves somewhere in the story. Scroll up and re-read the one I just wrote on how using the psychological tactics of the ninja can give you a much need edge in your publicity campaign.
Buddha said it best when he said “your greatest weapon is in your enemy’s mind.” When applied to publicity we can take this a step further by saying your strongest tool is your consumer’s mind. “Eyes given to see are not always open” (Voltaire). Your task as an entrepreneur is to tap into the minds of your consumer and make them see that you’ve got the product or service that they need.
As always, I hope these tidbits of information help you on your journey to success as an entrepreneur.
Cheers and good luck!
Former publicist, turned author and expert eMarketer, A. G. Fielder has carved a special niche divulging coveted industry secrets and marketing trends to the average Joe entreprenuer. A. G. Fielder is a respected eMarketer and mentors entreprenuers on jumpstarting their internet businesses while making money work for them instead of the other way around via www.myhotprofits.com.
Published: Mar 13,2009 15:38
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Andy Cowan
Andy Cowan, an award-winning writer, whose credits include Cheers and Seinfeld, regularly contributes humor pieces to the Los Angeles Times and the CBS Jack FM Radio Network.
Paul M. J. Suchecki
Paul M. J. Suchecki has more than 30 years of experience as an award winning writer, producer, and cameraman. He's written numerous newspaper and magazine articles. Currently he writes, produces and shoots for LA CityView Channel 35 and his more than 250 articles for Ehow.com are approaching half a million readers.
Coby Kindles
Coby Kindles is a freelance journalist, screenplay writer and essayist. She has been a staff writer at Knight Ridder and a regular contributor to The Associated Press.
Debbie Milam
Debbie Milam is a syndicated columnist for United Press International, an occupational therapist, family success consultant, and motivational speaker with more than 20 years experience. Her work on stress management, spirituality, parenting, and special-needs children has been featured in over 300 media outlets including First for Women, The Miami Herald, Elle, Ladies Home Journal, The Hallmark Channel, PBS and WebMD.
Dan Rafter
Dan Rafter has covered the residential real estate industry for more than 15 years. He has contributed real estate stories to the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Business 2.0 Magazine, Home Magazine, Smart HomeOwner Magazine and many others.
Jack Nargundkar
Jack Nargundkar has been repeatedly published in Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. He is also an author of "The Bush Diaries" published in July 2005.
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