When unusual combinations produce unexpected results

I’ve just finished reading an intriguing book - The Medici Effect, by Frans Johannson.

The idea is simple: when two unrelated fields cross over, you enter what Johannson calls ‘the intersection’.

And great ideas result - sometimes.

The name comes from the Medicis, the family of bankers in fifteenth-century Florence. They brought together sculptors, scientists, poets, philosophers and more, and broke down the barriers between disciplines and cultures.

The result was the Renaissance.

Johannson himself is a result of an intersection. His father is Swedish, his mother American (of black/Cherokee origins). He was brought up in Sweden but lives in New York.

Like all the best business books, it’s peppered with anecdotes that bring the theories alive. And from memes to monkeys playing computer games, from Richard Branson to turds in a blender, this book’s got it all.

The Medici Effect was voted one of the 10 best business books of 2004 on Amazon.com, and has been translated into 13 languages.

You can buy it here.

What copywriters read - when they’re not writing

“You ain’t ‘alf got a lot of books,” said the removal man to me as he lugged another box up the stairs. “What do you do with ‘em?”

He’s right - I have got a lot of books.  And mostly, I read them - unless they’re one of my passing interests, like Teach Yourself Zulu or Juggling for the Complete Klutz, in which case they simply gather dust.

One of my favourite copywriting books is We, Me, Them & It, a fascinating look at the use of language in business.

It’s written by John Simmons, formerly head of verbal identity (yes, that’s a real job title) at Interbrand, one of the UK’s top branding agencies.

The book naturally falls into four sections - we (the client), me (the individual voice), them (the people you’re communicating with) and it (the product/service).

Drawing on decades of experience at the copywriting game, Simmons effortlessly weaves opinions, anecdotes and facts into a very readable whole. 

At one point, I almost put the book down. Not because it was bad; because it was too good. It had hit a nerve.

In the chapter on ‘me’, Simmons reproduces a heartfelt letter he wrote to his children. It’s almost too much. But it makes he point more than eloquently.

If I remember one thing from this book, what will it be? Easy. He sums up very neatly what all writers strive to achieve:

Write as if you were speaking.
Write as if you were telling a story.
But tell the story well.

This is billed as ‘a business book with a difference - a business book that’s an intriguingly good read’.

And that it is.

• Buy this book at Amazon UK (not available in the US)
• Find out more about John Simmons: click here

Best of the rest

Here are three more from the thousands of books on my groaning shelves. Like the man said, I ain’t ‘alf got a lot.

	The Copywriter’s Handbook The de facto bible for copywriters, by one of the top copywriters in the US.Written in a practical, no-nonsense style, it’s a delight to read, packed full of useful information for the aspiring copywriter.
	One Step Ahead: Writing Reports Excellent guide to researching, writing and editing reports. It’s well laid out, easy to follow - and, at just 116 pages, pleasingly concise.
	Words that sell Looking for just the right word to close that sale? Look no further.Words that Sell does just what it says on the cover. From ‘clinchers’ to ‘grabbers’ they’re all here.