What do bacon, Bogota, yumberries and Foursquare
have in common? They are all on the list of 100
Things to Watch in 2010 by the marketing
communications company JWT.
Certain trends on the list suggest clear implications for businesses. JWT’s Ann Mack says that many items on it reflect broader shifts, like a growing action around health and wellness and environmental issues, to crazy-fast developments in the tech space.
There are also a number of trends tied to the so-called Great Recession (“trip bundling,” for example) and those that speak to various demographic, political and economic power shifts (“East Africa Wired,” and “TV for Tween Boys” among them). Interestingly for business, Mack says, the list “points to the way industries are redefining or reinventing themselves to survive or to fully leverage these power shifts.”
What trends might affect your small business in 2010? Here a subset you might find worth watching (as well as a few I found just plain interesting). The full list is in alphabetical order, below.
1. 3D at Home
3D is the new HD. Having successfully invaded the big screen, it’s on its way to the small screen: James Cameron, director of the new 3D film Avatar, will promote Panasonic’s 3D sets, out next year, which will compete with versions from Sony and Samsung.
2. Airline Subscriptions
United’s new $249 annual fee for checked luggage locks in flyers and streamlines the check-in procedure. With profits down across the industry, expect other airlines to follow suit. Lounges, food and concierge services could all become subscription benefits.
3. Alternative Measures of Prosperity
France’s Joie de Vivre Index, initiated by President Nicolas Sarkozy, is intended to provide a better assessment of well-being than the classic measure of economic health, the GDP. Look for more countries or companies to embrace alternative measures of prosperity, such as the Triple Bottom Line of people, profits and planet.
4. Alternative Metals in Jewelry
With gold prices volatile in recent years, Asian jewelry makers are turning instead to precious metals like palladium and titanium. China’s imports of palladium have been rising steadily; look for more jewelry manufacturers to choose it over gold.
5. Bacon Everywhere
Bacon is being spotted in everything from cocktails (made with bacon-infused liquor or the new Bakon Vodka) to desserts, including bacon-and-egg ice cream at the famous Fat Duck in the U.K., a bacon chocolate bar from Vosges Haut-Chocolat and Lollyphile’s maple-bacon lollipop.
6. Bogotá
With civil conflict in Colombia on the wane, Bogotá is becoming a vibrant capital. Colonial-era La Candelaria, once a guerilla battleground, now hosts hotels, cafes and galleries. Chefs and restaurateurs from around Latin America, drawn by low rents, are setting up camp. Bogotá also flaunts a newly potent nightlife, driven by its gay-friendly status and recent legalization of same-sex unions.
7. Buycotting
The opposite of a boycott, a buycott is supported by consumers who make a conscious effort to buy from companies whose environmental and social policies they support. Examples: Canadian supporters of Israel prompted a buycott of Israeli products; people who agreed with Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s ideas on health care countered a boycott of the store with a buycott last summer.
8. Customized Pharmaceuticals
Researchers will soon be able to create drugs customized to the patient’s DNA. Recent breakthroughs in cancer research make it clear that “one size fits all” drugs are not the best approach. Customized medicine is a map-over from customization in other sectors, especially food and nutrition (customized diets, for example).
9. East Africa Wired
Getting online in East Africa is slow and expensive, but that’s changing as high-speed Internet access finally arrives. Kenya, the region’s largest economy, can potentially develop emerging industries such as call centers and technology businesses. Rwanda’s nascent tech industry will also gain.
10. Electric Car Networks
Networks of charging and battery-switching stations—where drivers can quickly replace dead batteries—are sprouting in countries such as Denmark and Israel that are moving toward mass adoption of electric cars. Five U.S. cities will serve as test markets for networks developed by ECOtality.
11. Electronic Libraries
Digital books are fast becoming available to the public for free: Libraries are starting to lend e-books and downloadable audio books that patrons can access from home; Google is working with authorities on its controversial plan to create the world’s biggest digital library; and the EU’s i2010 initiative includes a digital libraries program.
12. Foursquare
Foursquare is a mobile gaming app that uses geo-tagging technology to help users find and share new bars, restaurants and other venues with friends. Available for several dozen cities worldwide so far, it will expand its reach in 2010, and gain new users and venues in existing locales. Foursquare is a leading player in the emerging category of games that leverage the convergence of smartphones, GPS and the social Web.
13. Greening the Palate
People will become increasingly aware of the impact their food choices make on the environment, well beyond local sourcing issues. Some foods (notably red meat) have a much bigger carbon footprint than others; some choices are better in terms of water consumption; and foods with palm oil are being linked to rainforest destruction.
14. Hand-Me-Ups
More people will start “handing up” their cell phones, digital cameras, computers and other electronic gadgets to their parents when they want to upgrade. The older items are often easier to master for those interested only in these tools’ basic functions.
15. Handwriting
Many children today can’t write quickly and clearly by hand. The art of handwriting will make a return as an offshoot of both the slow and traditionalist movements.
16. Ironic Sports
Disenchanted with the regulated uniformity of traditional team sports, athletes in cities worldwide are inventing their own, generally a combo of team and urban sports that appeal to the players’ sense of individuality. Think: bicycle polo, beach tennis and roller derby.
17. Japan on the Sidelines
China will bump Japan from its position as the world’s second biggest economy. The recession, the rising unemployment rate and Japan’s aging population are helping to push the former powerhouse to the sidelines. While China’s economy has grown about 10 percent a year for the last decade, Japan’s per-capita GDP has fallen to 19th in the world.
18. Lifestreaming
Online sharing will accelerate with the emergence of lifestreaming: aggregating one’s social media channels via applications like Posterous and Tumblr, resulting in a centralized stream of text, images, videos and links. This new communication channel bridges old-school blogs and Twitter.
19. Local, Nonprofit Online Newspapers
Watch for more so-called public media organizations that emulate the Voice of San Diego, MinnPost in the Twin Cities, the new Texas Tribune and a well-funded upcoming San Francisco venture, among others. Meanwhile, legislation before the U.S. Congress would help existing newspapers gain nonprofit status.
20. Luxury Goes East
With developed-world consumers eschewing conspicuous consumption and China now home to more high-net-worth individuals than the U.K., the high-end luxury market is moving East. Record-breaking sales in fine wine, antique diamonds and art at Sotheby’s auctions in Hong Kong point to an upper class that’s looking to amass tangible assets, flaunt their success and stand out from the crowd. This is likely to influence product development as well as business models.
21. Mobile Money
Increasingly, people will be able to send money via their mobile phones as quickly as they would a text message. In the developing world, this helps entrepreneurs overcome infrastructure issues, and allows banks and retailers to reach people in remote rural areas; in the developed world, it may breathe new life into retail markets.
22. Mobile Ticketing
Flashing cell phones at airports and event venues will replace paper tickets. Traditional boarding passes are becoming passé, with some major airports using scanners to read bar-coded passes and several airlines shifting to paperless check-in. Ticketmaster started large-scale mobile ticketing in the U.S. in April; Bollywood fans don’t need tickets torn at Indian cinemas; and a new service from ticket operator Paylogic and Mobiqa, an innovator in mobile ticketing, is rolling out in the Netherlands.
23. More Virtual Currencies
Watch for peer-to-peer virtual currencies to expand beyond the realms of online gaming and Second Life. Hub Culture, for example, is a global network of people who trade goods, services and knowledge using a digital currency called Ven. Social networks with built-in trust and reputation factors will help drive this trend. Some are rallying around Craig Newmark to create a digital currency around Craigslist.
24. New Portrait of Hispanic America
For the first time, English-Spanish Census forms will be distributed to 13 million households in high-density Hispanic areas. The 2010 Census will also define Hispanic as an ethnicity, separate from race, potentially boosting the number of Hispanics counted.
25. Organic Fast Food
Organic is the new hook in quick-service eateries, with chains such as Organic to Go, Naked Pizza and O!Burger popping up around the U.S. The wave is hitting Europe too. Look for more chains in more regions.
26. Paying for Online Content
Content providers will attempt to engineer a paradigm shift from free to fee. Five major magazine and newspaper publishers in the U.S. recently launched a venture that would create an iTunes-like digital store for their content. In the U.K., about 70 percent of respondents to an annual survey by the Association of Online Publishers said they plan to start charging for content or already do so.
27. The Pirate Party
While critics dismiss them as just a bunch of kids proclaiming their right to free file-sharing, this grassroots movement is broadening to embrace issues of the digital age: censorship, privacy rights and civil liberties on the Web. The Pirate Party, active in 28 countries in Europe and North America, is already the third-largest in Sweden (home of Pirate Bay, the controversial file-sharing site), where one member was elected to the European Parliament last June.
28. Pro Modding
Video game “modding”—modifying software to create new content—has thus far been strictly amateur, but in 2010 several titles will allow users to modify or add content and sell their version through the developer’s distribution network. Modders will receive a share of profits. For example, musicians can sell their tracks in the Rock Band virtual store (subject to peer review) at prices they set themselves.
29. Public Bicycles
These are becoming common street furniture in cities worldwide as an antidote to traffic, pollution and obesity. Next year Boston and London will roll out public-use bikes; Paris and Barcelona both embraced similar programs in the last two years.
30. Recycling Gray Water
As water shortages become a growing problem around the world, watch for more focus on recycling “gray water”—wastewater from bathing, dishwashing, etc.—in residential and commercial buildings. Government regulation is being loosened to allow its use, primarily for landscape irrigation and in toilets.
31. Retail as Third Space
Retail spaces will increasingly serve as a “third space” that’s only partly about shopping. Cash-strapped consumers can enjoy free services and entertainment or just socialize, while retailers attract more potential shoppers. Apple stores are a prime example; now Apple’s Steve Jobs is leading a revamp of Disney stores intended to make them more experiential. In China, IKEA has become a daytrip destination.
32. Silent Dance Parties
The idea of dancing to the beat via headphones—allowing partyers to pick their preferred music genre while leaving the neighbors undisturbed—is moving beyond music festivals and alternative venues. In the U.K., silent discos have been featured at weddings, Silent Sound Systems sells home kits, and several companies are focused around organizing these parties.
33. Slow Beverages
Slow-down beverages, or anti-Red Bulls, have emerged. Brands including Slow Cow, Drank, Jones GABA, Mary Jane’s Relaxing Soda and OmegaChill are fortified with ingredients such as chamomile, melatonin and valerian root that purportedly promote calming; some take on the energy-drink category directly by claiming to also boost mental focus and concentration.
34. Slow Communication
A backlash against today’s proliferation of speedy and thoughtless Tweets, status updates and e-mails, and our always-on, skim-and-pass-along communication habits. Watch for more Web-based products and services like woofertime.com, a Twitter-parody site that requires at least 1,400 characters per post, and Email Addict from Google Labs, which forces 15-minute e-mail breaks by freezing the user’s e-mail window.
35. Tactile/Visual Design
With the proliferation of touch screens, watch for more tactile/visual experiences that borrow from games to creep into user interface design—e.g., users unlock the T-Mobile G1 phone by drawing specific patterns on the screen.
36. Trip Bundling Business travelers are saving money and cutting down their time away from home by trading multiple short trips for longer ones that combine two or three destinations.
37. TV for TweenBoys
TV marketers have many avenues for reaching tween girls, but boys are more elusive. Now Cartoon Network is targeting this demographic with live-action and reality shows like Dude, What Would Happen. Disney’s rebranded channel Disney XD is counting on partnerships with ESPN and the anime series Naruto Shippuden; its purchase of Marvel Entertainment also brings icons like Iron Man and Spider-Man into the fold.
38. TV/Web Integration
At the same time that TV viewers are migrating in droves to the Web, many new TV sets are adding Web access capabilities. As real-time, interactive TV viewing gains steam, watch for more live chat and Tweeting to accompany broadcasts. Watch also for more futuristic technology, like the remote control IBM is developing that automatically blogs or Tweets what the user is watching.
39. Urban Fruit Gleaning
Mix the traditional practice of collecting leftovers from farmers’ fields with social networking and you’ve got urban fruit gleaning. Web sites in the U.S., U.K. and Canada encourage produce proponents to post about fruit trees in public areas that can be harvested and surplus goods from home gardens, and connect people who want to swap too many tomatoes for a bumper crop of apples.
40. U.S.-Cuba Ties
The Obama administration has been working to make Cuba more accessible to U.S. citizens and businesses. As Congress continues to debate lifting the trade embargo, more Americans say it’s time to establish ties with their nearby neighbor. The island is a potential market for everything from agricultural products to telecommunications to automobiles.
BIO: Ann Handley is the Chief Content Officer of www.marketingprofs.com and the owner of Annarchy. Follow her on Twitter @marketingprofs.
Certain trends on the list suggest clear implications for businesses. JWT’s Ann Mack says that many items on it reflect broader shifts, like a growing action around health and wellness and environmental issues, to crazy-fast developments in the tech space.
There are also a number of trends tied to the so-called Great Recession (“trip bundling,” for example) and those that speak to various demographic, political and economic power shifts (“East Africa Wired,” and “TV for Tween Boys” among them). Interestingly for business, Mack says, the list “points to the way industries are redefining or reinventing themselves to survive or to fully leverage these power shifts.”
What trends might affect your small business in 2010? Here a subset you might find worth watching (as well as a few I found just plain interesting). The full list is in alphabetical order, below.
1. 3D at Home
3D is the new HD. Having successfully invaded the big screen, it’s on its way to the small screen: James Cameron, director of the new 3D film Avatar, will promote Panasonic’s 3D sets, out next year, which will compete with versions from Sony and Samsung.
2. Airline Subscriptions
United’s new $249 annual fee for checked luggage locks in flyers and streamlines the check-in procedure. With profits down across the industry, expect other airlines to follow suit. Lounges, food and concierge services could all become subscription benefits.
3. Alternative Measures of Prosperity
France’s Joie de Vivre Index, initiated by President Nicolas Sarkozy, is intended to provide a better assessment of well-being than the classic measure of economic health, the GDP. Look for more countries or companies to embrace alternative measures of prosperity, such as the Triple Bottom Line of people, profits and planet.
4. Alternative Metals in Jewelry
With gold prices volatile in recent years, Asian jewelry makers are turning instead to precious metals like palladium and titanium. China’s imports of palladium have been rising steadily; look for more jewelry manufacturers to choose it over gold.
5. Bacon Everywhere
Bacon is being spotted in everything from cocktails (made with bacon-infused liquor or the new Bakon Vodka) to desserts, including bacon-and-egg ice cream at the famous Fat Duck in the U.K., a bacon chocolate bar from Vosges Haut-Chocolat and Lollyphile’s maple-bacon lollipop.
6. Bogotá
With civil conflict in Colombia on the wane, Bogotá is becoming a vibrant capital. Colonial-era La Candelaria, once a guerilla battleground, now hosts hotels, cafes and galleries. Chefs and restaurateurs from around Latin America, drawn by low rents, are setting up camp. Bogotá also flaunts a newly potent nightlife, driven by its gay-friendly status and recent legalization of same-sex unions.
7. Buycotting
The opposite of a boycott, a buycott is supported by consumers who make a conscious effort to buy from companies whose environmental and social policies they support. Examples: Canadian supporters of Israel prompted a buycott of Israeli products; people who agreed with Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s ideas on health care countered a boycott of the store with a buycott last summer.
8. Customized Pharmaceuticals
Researchers will soon be able to create drugs customized to the patient’s DNA. Recent breakthroughs in cancer research make it clear that “one size fits all” drugs are not the best approach. Customized medicine is a map-over from customization in other sectors, especially food and nutrition (customized diets, for example).
9. East Africa Wired
Getting online in East Africa is slow and expensive, but that’s changing as high-speed Internet access finally arrives. Kenya, the region’s largest economy, can potentially develop emerging industries such as call centers and technology businesses. Rwanda’s nascent tech industry will also gain.
10. Electric Car Networks
Networks of charging and battery-switching stations—where drivers can quickly replace dead batteries—are sprouting in countries such as Denmark and Israel that are moving toward mass adoption of electric cars. Five U.S. cities will serve as test markets for networks developed by ECOtality.
11. Electronic Libraries
Digital books are fast becoming available to the public for free: Libraries are starting to lend e-books and downloadable audio books that patrons can access from home; Google is working with authorities on its controversial plan to create the world’s biggest digital library; and the EU’s i2010 initiative includes a digital libraries program.
12. Foursquare
Foursquare is a mobile gaming app that uses geo-tagging technology to help users find and share new bars, restaurants and other venues with friends. Available for several dozen cities worldwide so far, it will expand its reach in 2010, and gain new users and venues in existing locales. Foursquare is a leading player in the emerging category of games that leverage the convergence of smartphones, GPS and the social Web.
13. Greening the Palate
People will become increasingly aware of the impact their food choices make on the environment, well beyond local sourcing issues. Some foods (notably red meat) have a much bigger carbon footprint than others; some choices are better in terms of water consumption; and foods with palm oil are being linked to rainforest destruction.
14. Hand-Me-Ups
More people will start “handing up” their cell phones, digital cameras, computers and other electronic gadgets to their parents when they want to upgrade. The older items are often easier to master for those interested only in these tools’ basic functions.
15. Handwriting
Many children today can’t write quickly and clearly by hand. The art of handwriting will make a return as an offshoot of both the slow and traditionalist movements.
16. Ironic Sports
Disenchanted with the regulated uniformity of traditional team sports, athletes in cities worldwide are inventing their own, generally a combo of team and urban sports that appeal to the players’ sense of individuality. Think: bicycle polo, beach tennis and roller derby.
17. Japan on the Sidelines
China will bump Japan from its position as the world’s second biggest economy. The recession, the rising unemployment rate and Japan’s aging population are helping to push the former powerhouse to the sidelines. While China’s economy has grown about 10 percent a year for the last decade, Japan’s per-capita GDP has fallen to 19th in the world.
18. Lifestreaming
Online sharing will accelerate with the emergence of lifestreaming: aggregating one’s social media channels via applications like Posterous and Tumblr, resulting in a centralized stream of text, images, videos and links. This new communication channel bridges old-school blogs and Twitter.
19. Local, Nonprofit Online Newspapers
Watch for more so-called public media organizations that emulate the Voice of San Diego, MinnPost in the Twin Cities, the new Texas Tribune and a well-funded upcoming San Francisco venture, among others. Meanwhile, legislation before the U.S. Congress would help existing newspapers gain nonprofit status.
20. Luxury Goes East
With developed-world consumers eschewing conspicuous consumption and China now home to more high-net-worth individuals than the U.K., the high-end luxury market is moving East. Record-breaking sales in fine wine, antique diamonds and art at Sotheby’s auctions in Hong Kong point to an upper class that’s looking to amass tangible assets, flaunt their success and stand out from the crowd. This is likely to influence product development as well as business models.
21. Mobile Money
Increasingly, people will be able to send money via their mobile phones as quickly as they would a text message. In the developing world, this helps entrepreneurs overcome infrastructure issues, and allows banks and retailers to reach people in remote rural areas; in the developed world, it may breathe new life into retail markets.
22. Mobile Ticketing
Flashing cell phones at airports and event venues will replace paper tickets. Traditional boarding passes are becoming passé, with some major airports using scanners to read bar-coded passes and several airlines shifting to paperless check-in. Ticketmaster started large-scale mobile ticketing in the U.S. in April; Bollywood fans don’t need tickets torn at Indian cinemas; and a new service from ticket operator Paylogic and Mobiqa, an innovator in mobile ticketing, is rolling out in the Netherlands.
23. More Virtual Currencies
Watch for peer-to-peer virtual currencies to expand beyond the realms of online gaming and Second Life. Hub Culture, for example, is a global network of people who trade goods, services and knowledge using a digital currency called Ven. Social networks with built-in trust and reputation factors will help drive this trend. Some are rallying around Craig Newmark to create a digital currency around Craigslist.
24. New Portrait of Hispanic America
For the first time, English-Spanish Census forms will be distributed to 13 million households in high-density Hispanic areas. The 2010 Census will also define Hispanic as an ethnicity, separate from race, potentially boosting the number of Hispanics counted.
25. Organic Fast Food
Organic is the new hook in quick-service eateries, with chains such as Organic to Go, Naked Pizza and O!Burger popping up around the U.S. The wave is hitting Europe too. Look for more chains in more regions.
26. Paying for Online Content
Content providers will attempt to engineer a paradigm shift from free to fee. Five major magazine and newspaper publishers in the U.S. recently launched a venture that would create an iTunes-like digital store for their content. In the U.K., about 70 percent of respondents to an annual survey by the Association of Online Publishers said they plan to start charging for content or already do so.
27. The Pirate Party
While critics dismiss them as just a bunch of kids proclaiming their right to free file-sharing, this grassroots movement is broadening to embrace issues of the digital age: censorship, privacy rights and civil liberties on the Web. The Pirate Party, active in 28 countries in Europe and North America, is already the third-largest in Sweden (home of Pirate Bay, the controversial file-sharing site), where one member was elected to the European Parliament last June.
28. Pro Modding
Video game “modding”—modifying software to create new content—has thus far been strictly amateur, but in 2010 several titles will allow users to modify or add content and sell their version through the developer’s distribution network. Modders will receive a share of profits. For example, musicians can sell their tracks in the Rock Band virtual store (subject to peer review) at prices they set themselves.
29. Public Bicycles
These are becoming common street furniture in cities worldwide as an antidote to traffic, pollution and obesity. Next year Boston and London will roll out public-use bikes; Paris and Barcelona both embraced similar programs in the last two years.
30. Recycling Gray Water
As water shortages become a growing problem around the world, watch for more focus on recycling “gray water”—wastewater from bathing, dishwashing, etc.—in residential and commercial buildings. Government regulation is being loosened to allow its use, primarily for landscape irrigation and in toilets.
31. Retail as Third Space
Retail spaces will increasingly serve as a “third space” that’s only partly about shopping. Cash-strapped consumers can enjoy free services and entertainment or just socialize, while retailers attract more potential shoppers. Apple stores are a prime example; now Apple’s Steve Jobs is leading a revamp of Disney stores intended to make them more experiential. In China, IKEA has become a daytrip destination.
32. Silent Dance Parties
The idea of dancing to the beat via headphones—allowing partyers to pick their preferred music genre while leaving the neighbors undisturbed—is moving beyond music festivals and alternative venues. In the U.K., silent discos have been featured at weddings, Silent Sound Systems sells home kits, and several companies are focused around organizing these parties.
33. Slow Beverages
Slow-down beverages, or anti-Red Bulls, have emerged. Brands including Slow Cow, Drank, Jones GABA, Mary Jane’s Relaxing Soda and OmegaChill are fortified with ingredients such as chamomile, melatonin and valerian root that purportedly promote calming; some take on the energy-drink category directly by claiming to also boost mental focus and concentration.
34. Slow Communication
A backlash against today’s proliferation of speedy and thoughtless Tweets, status updates and e-mails, and our always-on, skim-and-pass-along communication habits. Watch for more Web-based products and services like woofertime.com, a Twitter-parody site that requires at least 1,400 characters per post, and Email Addict from Google Labs, which forces 15-minute e-mail breaks by freezing the user’s e-mail window.
35. Tactile/Visual Design
With the proliferation of touch screens, watch for more tactile/visual experiences that borrow from games to creep into user interface design—e.g., users unlock the T-Mobile G1 phone by drawing specific patterns on the screen.
36. Trip Bundling Business travelers are saving money and cutting down their time away from home by trading multiple short trips for longer ones that combine two or three destinations.
37. TV for TweenBoys
TV marketers have many avenues for reaching tween girls, but boys are more elusive. Now Cartoon Network is targeting this demographic with live-action and reality shows like Dude, What Would Happen. Disney’s rebranded channel Disney XD is counting on partnerships with ESPN and the anime series Naruto Shippuden; its purchase of Marvel Entertainment also brings icons like Iron Man and Spider-Man into the fold.
38. TV/Web Integration
At the same time that TV viewers are migrating in droves to the Web, many new TV sets are adding Web access capabilities. As real-time, interactive TV viewing gains steam, watch for more live chat and Tweeting to accompany broadcasts. Watch also for more futuristic technology, like the remote control IBM is developing that automatically blogs or Tweets what the user is watching.
39. Urban Fruit Gleaning
Mix the traditional practice of collecting leftovers from farmers’ fields with social networking and you’ve got urban fruit gleaning. Web sites in the U.S., U.K. and Canada encourage produce proponents to post about fruit trees in public areas that can be harvested and surplus goods from home gardens, and connect people who want to swap too many tomatoes for a bumper crop of apples.
40. U.S.-Cuba Ties
The Obama administration has been working to make Cuba more accessible to U.S. citizens and businesses. As Congress continues to debate lifting the trade embargo, more Americans say it’s time to establish ties with their nearby neighbor. The island is a potential market for everything from agricultural products to telecommunications to automobiles.
BIO: Ann Handley is the Chief Content Officer of www.marketingprofs.com and the owner of Annarchy. Follow her on Twitter @marketingprofs.
