Words Work Miracles: The Review of Easy Web Marketing

You are about to read my review of Con le parole si fanno i miracoli by Doriano Zurlo and I confess that as I write it I feel a pinch of awe. Actually, much more than a pinch .

There are books that leave a mark . Miracles Can Be Made With Words is one of them.

We may not remember every single page of what we read. But we will be able to draw on the concept forever, marked like a scar in our mind . We will take the book off the shelf and go looking for the exact page where it is located. To reread it and make it ours once again.

This is how it works with all the books on writing and communication that I consider my traveling companions in my profession. Let’s see together why .

Miracles are made with words: an enlightening meeting

The payoff for With Words You Can Work Miracles reads “Notes on Advertising Writing and Language.” Reading it like this you might think “ Okay, they’re just some scattered notes here and there on words and writing .” Then, as soon as you turn the cover, here’s the revelation : like Bastian in The Neverending Story , a blinding light comes out of the pages and it’s impossible to look away.

This is not just another book that teaches writing for advertising. It is a masterpiece on communication .

They say that there are as many books written about copywriting as there are stars in the Milky Way. But not all of them shine equally. Doriano Zurlo has managed to accomplish a galactic feat in less than 300 pages. He takes the reader on an extraordinary journey into the world of words , and in particular, written words.

Above is an example of the creative path hypothesized on the creation of the brand name Activia . It seems like a name put there at random. Everything takes on a different vision if a professional lights the way, right? By the way, it was wonderful to find Chiara Gandolfi, whom I interviewed in this article , cited in With words you make miracles .

Why is this copywriting book so special?

With words you work miracles is much more than a simple copywriting manual . But it is also much more than a simple essay on advertising writing . In fact, it could be a novel where we observe the word complete its life path. Or a passionate and lucid ode to the queen of communication .

In With words you work miracles, Doriano Zurlo does not limit himself to expounding copywriting techniques , that would be too banal. He transmits a contagious passion for the art of advertising writing, creative and persuasive. He explains how the copywriter ‘s goal is, among others, to generate enthusiasm with words.

Sift through those that fit perfectly into a shaped slot which is effective communication .

As you read, it is as if he were sharing with you the secrets of his knowledge in a sincere, competent and kind way. And so let’s see how, with words, authentic miracles of communication can be accomplished.

The beauty of With words you can make miracles

Let’s start with the index. Each chapter has its own name. Beauty, One, Lumps, Etyms, Lacks, Names, Collisions, Repetitions and so on. All mysterious names that when read individually can communicate very little.

But as you read on, they trigger curiosity and, as the pages unfold, your mind opens up to a complete understanding of the speech. The previous chapter is closely linked to the one we are reading and everything becomes clearer. The result? Wow, an embroidery that is nothing short of brilliant .

At the end of the book, it is as if we were admiring the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel from a privileged point of view: the parousia of the word . This is  where the beauty of With words you make miracles lies. We are admiring the sensual forms of something that slowly comes to life and lends itself to the creativity of man .

The history of the word, anything but banal

Ultimately, everything starts from the word . The word as a heap of sounds, aggregation of vowels and consonants. Doriano Zurlo is masterful in  making the reasoning slide: slowly the word takes on meaning for the man who tames it and uses конкретная база данных по отраслям Материал it for play, exchange of impressions and information. Communicate also and above all in a creative way.

With Words You Make Miracles takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of the word as a tool of language in human relationships. From an in-depth examination of the sonorous beauty of words and the individual letters that compose them (up to a chromatic association), we are led towards the discovery of the uniqueness of every phoneme invented by man.

But the real miracle happens when Zurlo shows us

The magic that is created by combining words bab directory with different meanings. It is as if the words were pieces of a mosaic, and the man is the skilled craftsman who assembles them to create masterpieces of persuasion . This explains the importance of etymology . Listen to what he says:

“ The word guglia , for example, has as its etymology close to the ancient Italian aguglia , which is a loan from the French aguille , imported into Italy by the Normans and derived from the Latin acucula , in turn a suffixation of the Latin acus ‘needle’ . The remote etymology is *ak- a Proto-Indo-European root which generically indicates something pointed, and which we hear in the French aigu , in English acute , in German akut and in Italian acuto.”

Now, based on these words let’s take a look at the 2013 Staedtler announcement that Doriano Zurlo proposes to strengthen the sense of etymology in copywriting:

The creatives at Staedtler may not have done it consciously, but they managed to encapsulate in a single image the long history of a word that derives from acuto and is pronounced guglia . This is what advertising communication should do.

The Power of the Word According to Doriano Zurlo

With words you can do miracles reminds repeatedly that advertising writing has basic rules to respect within the language used. And so far nothing exceptional.

But what makes it unique is Zurlo’s attention to the dynamics that allow two distinct worlds , such as brand and consumer, to converge in ways that are not always systematically replicable. This concept is beautifully explored in the chapter entitled “Collisions”:

“ When a word collides with another, it deviates from its path, changes direction. At that moment a more or less intense change occurs, which can present itself as a simple expressive enrichment, as if the usual word were illuminated by a brighter light, or gain, following the most varied paths, the transfer, in the word itself, of a content different from that which is proper to it. “

The enchantment described in With words we make miracles, what the history of the word brings with it to the point of generating new infinite stories that hook the imagination of those who listen to them, is at risk of extinction . I put my hand to my chest and I put myself in it too. How many times have I sacrificed the beauty of a word? Underestimating its primordial value, simply to fill a blank sheet of paper? And was the client okay with that?

Not the usual copywriting manual: it teaches much more

According to Doriano Zurlo, about 80% of advertising campaigns do not generate recall . That is, stuff that not even Chi l’ha visto could do anything about. Disappeared. Desaparecido .

The reason? We churn out millions of billions of words per second clogging up the web, TV and printed paper, for the simple fact that we want everything, immediately and literally without caring how to get it. That’s why you are in front of a copywriting manual that is truly different from all the others. Doriano Zurlo is teaching writing and reasoning . Very slow thoughts.

But when you finish Words Make Miracles you will realize that you have learned much more than you could have done with the four-bit courses on how to invoice 5k in a month with writing .

A kind teacher 

Relaxed tones, no shouted concepts, no mistreated readers, no unfulfilled promises. Doriano Zurlo’s gentle and engaging approach makes reading this book a pleasant experience.

The author opens the doors of his deep knowledge of writing for advertising like a passionate observer. Enchanted by the art of words, he is amazed as if he were working for the first time. While observing and describing the power of words, he teaches the reader how to handle this precious tool without ever being perceived as a teacher. He is a scholar of the subject so in love with his craft that he manages to transmit notions, information, methods of use, advice and experience in a light and engaging way.

The message of With words you can make miracles

When I read the last page, I thought I could cry with gratitude. The ending talks about truth . A concept as lofty as it is ephemeral. Is there really a truth in this world? Here Doriano Zurlo tries to illustrate his in terms of writing, communication, entertainment and relationships.

Towards what end do we direct our language? We live in an era with a high rate of technology and minimal understanding of communication . Moral and social complexities are tangled up in an increasingly poor language. In which the lexicon is reduced to the bare minimum. Alas, those indispensable for performance . Paradoxically, we can reach millions of recipients with our message and none of them would understand us.

The hope is to recover the value of the spoken and written word. The copywriter as a communication professional has the ethical duty to trace a sustainable path, spread beauty and quality. Let’s go back to working miracles with the word. Are we doing it? Am I doing it?

Who is Doriano Zurlo, author of Miracles Can Be Made With Words

For those in the know, Doriano Zurlo is an institution. For those who don’t know him, he is a multifaceted communications professional. With solid experience as a copywriter and creative director for renowned communications firms, he is also a teacher of writing and advertising creativity. He has taught at prestigious universities such as the University of Urbino Carlo Bo and the University of Milan. In addition to his academic work, Doriano Zurlo writes a column for the monthly magazine “Vita” and shares his passion for music on his YouTube channel .

Disclaimer: Nobody opened their wallet for me to write this review – although sometimes a little extra cash wouldn’t hurt. Everything you read here is the result of my creativity and my sense of sharing beauty. So, yes, it might seem like I’m trying to conquer the world with Doriano Zurlo’s words, but that’s only because I was struck by “With words you can do miracles”.

Thank you  for reading my review of With Words You Can Make Miracles. Do you have any questions for me? Write me in the comments below or contact me directly

I wish you a good day!