Comments on: I don’t want ANY spam! Misconceptions and marketing research

By: Brian Bowman

Brian Bowman — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:37:51 +0000

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Neil. I think if you read my post in detail you’ll see that I said that “legitimate marketing research organizations do not try to sell products or services (in fact, if they are members of Canada’s Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (the “MRIA”), they are bound by a professional code of conduct which expressly prohibits such activities).” The key term is “legitimate” and I’ve stressed that those organizations that are members of Canada’s MRIA are bound by a professional code of conduct that deals with many of the points you’ve raised, namely the need for consent. I fully agree with you that permission is everthing, not just to meet legal requirements but also to meet the expectations of those being contacted. Again, thanks for reading and commenting on the post Neil!

By: spamfighter666

spamfighter666 — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:10:59 +0000

“Marketing research isn’t Spam” That is interesting Brian. That is like saying ‘email isn’t spam’. It is a vague generalization, and thus dead wrong.

Some marketing research isn’t spam. Some market researchers do spam. And worse still, some spammers, under the guise of market research, ply their trade.

But to state unequivocally that a certain market sector is not spam is naive. It is the manner in which members of that sector undertake their work that is the question. Provided they gather their email addresses in an opt-in fashion, there should be no problem. Permission is everything.

–
Neil Schwartzman
Executive Director
CAUCE
The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email, North America Inc.

http://cauce.org
http://twitter.com/cauce