I understand why do this whole branding thing and all, but it all sounds so superficial and artificial. because if you tell people how your dojo is different or what particular things important in their lives people will be able to achieve through aikido - you start to teach that during your trainings. Instead of teaching aikido in the first place. those are nice outcomes of a genuine aikido practice, but aikido is not about those things.
People don't know what they really need - and it's good! aikido can surprise! Aikido study - attentively follow the teacher's movements. And embody the movement yourself. Of course it's hard, but it's so rewarding if you manage to go through that hardness.
Having said all that and being aikidoka myself :) I like very much what you are doing and agree with many points you raise. To put my remarks in constructive way, I'd like your materials not to give away everything before the person comes to the dojo, I want the materials to enchant and not to shout about aikido. I want them to leave some mystery in which there is the genuine freedom to explore oneself. I want the materials to attract people that can potentially struggle through months of inexplicable hand-foot-body-wawing just because it's interesting for them, not because there is some goal they might reach like better stability, conflict resolution or whatever. So yes, the challenge would be to create marketing that creates internal drivers in the potential student (interest), not the external drivers like real measurable results of their stability at work.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Sutasu. I really appreciate that you care about preserving what makes aikido genuine.
You're right about the value of internal drivers and maintaining some mystery. But similar to aikido, marketing needs balance - internal curiosity paired with external credibility. Without measurable results, people, especially younger students, leave shortly after joining.
My dojo stays full compared to colleagues who see marketing as incompatible with traditional Aikido values. The people who come through clear, honest communication about dojo specifics tend to be more committed to the process, not less. That honesty builds trust, which creates the space for genuine exploration you're talking about.
After 25 years of aikido practice and 30 years in marketing, I've learned that authenticity and effective communication aren't opposites - they're partners.
I understand why do this whole branding thing and all, but it all sounds so superficial and artificial. because if you tell people how your dojo is different or what particular things important in their lives people will be able to achieve through aikido - you start to teach that during your trainings. Instead of teaching aikido in the first place. those are nice outcomes of a genuine aikido practice, but aikido is not about those things.
People don't know what they really need - and it's good! aikido can surprise! Aikido study - attentively follow the teacher's movements. And embody the movement yourself. Of course it's hard, but it's so rewarding if you manage to go through that hardness.
Having said all that and being aikidoka myself :) I like very much what you are doing and agree with many points you raise. To put my remarks in constructive way, I'd like your materials not to give away everything before the person comes to the dojo, I want the materials to enchant and not to shout about aikido. I want them to leave some mystery in which there is the genuine freedom to explore oneself. I want the materials to attract people that can potentially struggle through months of inexplicable hand-foot-body-wawing just because it's interesting for them, not because there is some goal they might reach like better stability, conflict resolution or whatever. So yes, the challenge would be to create marketing that creates internal drivers in the potential student (interest), not the external drivers like real measurable results of their stability at work.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Sutasu. I really appreciate that you care about preserving what makes aikido genuine.
You're right about the value of internal drivers and maintaining some mystery. But similar to aikido, marketing needs balance - internal curiosity paired with external credibility. Without measurable results, people, especially younger students, leave shortly after joining.
My dojo stays full compared to colleagues who see marketing as incompatible with traditional Aikido values. The people who come through clear, honest communication about dojo specifics tend to be more committed to the process, not less. That honesty builds trust, which creates the space for genuine exploration you're talking about.
After 25 years of aikido practice and 30 years in marketing, I've learned that authenticity and effective communication aren't opposites - they're partners.