Local is the new national

We purchase a Lululemon sweatshirt and read on the label, “Made in Vancouver”. We open the box of a new Apple computer and read, in white print on a black box, perfectly centered in a sea of Styrofoam: “Designed by Apple in California”.  These statements give a brief if specific pleasure.

Just as the nation state is no longer the motive political force it was, it may no longer be the motive brand force, either.

In our networked and branded world, the rise of the city-state or region-state may prove every bit as important as the rise of the tribe. After all, when did the nation ever, really, speak to a sense of community? Eric La Brecque

Yes: Newsweek rethinks itself

The previous weeks’ Newsweek may be the boldest fundamental rethink of a magazine we’ve seen in a long time. The update goes far beyond the merely graphic-cosmetic: Essentially, it’s forsaking news in the narrow sense to focus on commentary. Here’s the wager, in the words of editor Jon Meacham: We know you already know what the news is. With original reporting and arguments, we’ll make you think in new ways. I like it a lot. Now let’s see if it’s tealeaf take on relevance in the digital age is right for a wider readership. If the public attention span has shrunk to snippets and soundbites in all instances, Newsweek loses. If the new format not only appeals in its own right but also works in a way that can’t be copied or bettered online, Newsweek wins. I’m still reading, and I guess I won’t subscribe to the online version after all. Eric La Brecque