Amidst the hubbub over whether the U.S. in decline—spurred in part by new books by Ed Luce, Niall Ferguson and Ian Bremmer—McKinsey reported on the standout strength of US cities. The report says that by 2025, New York and L.A. will be the world’s second and fourth largest cities, by GDP. McKinsey also noted the growth potential of America’s top 28 welterweight cities, and it’s this middle layer that Fast Company’s United States of Innovation issue sees as home to some of the most attractive entrepreneurial advantages. And growth won’t just come from service jobs. A fascinating special report from The Economist points to a third industrial revolution, fueled by digital processes like 3D printing and software innovations, that may bring manufacturing back home. These radical production changes will make New York, L.A. and the 28 cities more important than ever for brands. What do you think?
Well-known for signs lost in translation, China is brushing up on its English through an official menu translation book—say goodbye to dishes like ”wood mustache meat.” The Chinese are pushing the mastery of English as an economic priority, but proficiency with language is not only practical—it actually improves the way brains work. As bilingual brains are forced to resolve conflicts between different language systems, they build increased cognitive power, absorption and skills. In this way, learning another language seems to correlate to increased innovation, influencing economic development: Utah owns the highest percentage of foreign-language speakers (thanks to returning Mormon missionaries) and the fastest job growth rate in America. High-tech startups and even eBay and Goldman Sachs are capitalizing on Utah’s multilingual talent pool. Finally, bilingual immigrants seem to be healthier than other populations, though the reasons for this are unclear. Which benefits of bilingualism are most surprising to you? Let us know @ClickIdeon!
Recently, Pinterest has reached critical mass online. Making scrapbooks more relevant and powerful digitally, over 10 million individuals, brands, and even the US Army are now pinning away, sharing themes or images that catch their eye. But what about words? Fifty years ago, the highlighter changed the way people noted important text; today, in an increasingly visual digital world, how will meaningful words and concepts be called out and “pinned”? Other physical to digital reinterpretations may be possible for the Rubik’s cubes and Legos of the world; just look at the classic web 1.0 game Virtual Bubble Wrap, now a mobile app, too. Other staples of culture, like signatures, are simply dying out. What aspects of life or tools do you think should be parlayed online, or perhaps, can never be replaced?
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Steve Lohr pointed to Steve Jobs’ ability to take risks as key to Apple’s innovation, but as Malcolm Gladwell wrote last year, the greatest innovators and brands may not be risk-takers at all. Fast Company’s latest issue spotlighted today’s disruptors, including the founder and CEO of Dyson, who said it took a whopping 5,127 tries to prototype the new and now successful bagless vacuum. Jobs himself was a notorious perfectionist. All these observations underline the notion that the best leaders have a relentless thirst for knowing what their customers want, and delivering on it time and again. Deep, smart insights inform leaders and give a brand strength. And it’s easier than ever for brands to stay close to their customers; no cliff-jumping necessary.
