This is a book about finding the crunchy hidden meanings of words and phrases and then using them to efficiently deliver a message. Most of the examples are from advertising or headlines, with a few movie and book titles thrown in. Then again, it's not so much a book about how to do that as it is a book about how others have done it. In that sense, it's not very successful. On the other hand, for anyone that loves words and writing and wants to think a little deeper about how words work, it's an interesting, light read. ( )

More of an exploration of naming and advertising dynamics than a writing guide. In spite of the many quotes from twitter, at times it sounds just like the more internet-friendly observations have been glued to a pre-existing book on advertising-oriented linguistics (see the author's blog and job). Nevertheless, a nice read. ( )

This is a must read for people interested in language, and of course, writers.

It's really quite brilliant, the author really takes in account the different social aspects--mostly on the web, all the while covering things like the elevator pitch and company names. It really goes into the reasons why we like the simple things we do--like Coca-Cola. ( )

Very interesting and quick read. How to get yourself heard quickly and effectively - be personal, be brief, be interesting, be relevant. ( )