We, Me, Them & It [Paperback]

John Simmons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2002

This book is about recognizing that words are living beings. Because we are human we know that we should care about living beings. Most of the time we do not. We let them starve through neglect. We step over them when we see them on the street trying to attract our attention. We pull the curtains so we don't have to look at them. We even lock the doors on them if we feel they threaten us.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[A] rarity in the world of business books: something readable, stimulating and full of good sense. -- Marketing Magazine

About the Author

Until recently John Simmons was a Director of leading brand consultancy Interbrand. He is now an independent writer and consultant working on brands as diverse as Boots, the BBC and Bird¿s Eye (to mention only the B¿s).
John has a degree in English Literature from Oxford University. He worked extensively in publishing as a copywriter and as communications manager at the National Economic Development Office before joining Newell and Sorrell in 1984. There he led a design team on many major identity and communication programmes, including those for Royal Mail and Waterstone's. He has advised clients on the use of language to express the distinctiveness of a brand, including Marks & Spencer, Guinness and Air Products.
John is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has three times been a judge in the 'writing for design' category at the D&AD awards, this year as Foreman of the jury. He runs ¿Writing for design¿ workshops for D&AD and for thewriter.co.uk.
He has written two books on the subject of the relationship between language and identity. We, me, them & it: the power of words in business was published by Texere in November 2000 and became a business books bestseller on Amazon. The invisible grail: in search of the true language of brands was published in the UK in March 2003, has just been published in the USA and is already in its second edition. In November Profile Books published the Economist Guide to Brands and Branding, jointly edited with Rita Clifton. John¿s latest book My sister¿s a barista: How they made Starbucks a home from home has just been published by Cyan Books, and he is the series editor for Cyan¿s Great brand stories.
John is a founder member of 26, the not-for-profit group that champions the cause of more creative language in business.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Texere; 1 edition (May 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587991365
• ISBN-13: 978-1587991363
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,136,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why didn't I know about this book?, July 4, 2006

By 

Chris MacAskill (Silicon Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: We, Me, Them & It: How to Write Powerfully for Business (Paperback)

The magic of serendipity in a London airport bookstore brought this little jewel into my life. I read it twice on my flight, then bought several copies for friends at work.

It's intended for a British audience. Even though I'm American I understood the language and examples and felt they applied to our company.

The main point is that all writing, from the help desk to marketing materials, work to form the brand. Customers love the tone of informal letters -- filled with emotion and individuality, free of the language of bureaucracy. So many people like me get drawn into sterile corporate writing because it sounds professional as we write, but to the customer it ends up sounding haughty and boring.

There are lots of compelling case studies of British companies, some funny stuff, and even great poetry.

One funny:

"The problem with words is you never know whose mouth they've been in."

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, June 27, 2006

By 

Richard Pelletier "Bravo" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: We, Me, Them & It: How to Write Powerfully for Business (Paperback)

This is not a 'how to' book. This is about the beauty and power of language. Simmons has done the world of business (and those of us who write for business) a favor by shedding some light on an area that many organizations are nervous about - content.

The premise is basic. Lot's of competition out there. If you are trying to find a way to separate your company from the pack, take another look at how you use language. The extraordinary power of words - you only have to think of the "I have a dream" speech to know this - is part of what John Simmons is talking about.

Language, and more specifically, tone of voice, is a way for organizations to forge an identity that is all their own.

The man is head over heels in love with language and good writing and that alone is worth the price of admission.

Too much business writing is limp and risk averse. As a result, customers turn away, business is lost and the marketing people scramble...

The message in John Simmons book is pretty clear:
If your business writes as if the writing really matters, if it comes from the heart and soul of your organization - it will matter.

Buy the book.
See a more complete review at richpelletier.com

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Me, Him, It and Those, February 23, 2006

By 

SARAH MCCARTNEY (London, England, UK.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: We, Me, Them & It (Paperback)

I'd never read a book like this before. I was expecting a text book with clear recommendations about 'how to', rules about good and bad writing and a nice, safe, unemotional set of guidelines about how to get through my day as a writer for business. What I got was permission to bring myself to work, so to speak, and put some of my own experience into the words I write. I was like a kid in a candy shop! This was the invitation I was waiting for, without ever knowing.
I can understand that some stiff-laced, corporate types might find themselves feeling a little insecure reading We, Me, Them and It, particularly if they come from a culture where work and real life must forever remain separate. But among the new kinds of business where we know as much about the people who run them as the products, then John Simmons' advice to writers is going to give them the key to a magic doorway, opening into a room full of new experience. Don't be afraid!