New Global Lobbying Body for MR

Leaders of the market research industry, meeting last week in Geneva for the second consecutive year, to discuss ways to strengthen the position of market research, agreed to take action on a number of key priorities. The 50 leaders attending the global Research Leaders Summit, also called RELEAS 2, organized by ARF and ESOMAR, have decided to establish a global lobbying body for the market research industry.

The global lobbying organisation is earmarked to address privacy legislation and any other legislative proposals that could have a detrimental effect on market research Market research companies, client companies and market research trade organisations are expected to fund the global initiative.

Establishing the global lobbying body will be a step-by-step process. This year, the US marketing trade association and national lobbying organisation, CMOR will be expanded to include Canada and Mexico to cover the entire region of North America. A European pilot effort, initially funded by ESOMAR, will be established this spring. Commitments for additional funding are already in hand. Similar regional efforts covering Asia Pacific and Latin America will be set up after 2002.

'Attempts to restrict our industry are growing all the time. We've seen it in Europe and the US in particular, and it is happening or is going to happen in other parts of the world. Our industry can affect these restrictive regulatory efforts, but only if we organize collectively and that's what we've done. It's groundbreaking,' said Jay Wilson, executive chairman US of NOP World and one of the initiators of setting up a lobbying effort.

At the RELEAS 2 summit, the industry leaders also agreed to take initiatives aimed at giving market research an increased profile in the business world, relaunching the industry and empowering it to take new future business opportunities. In addition, the leaders agreed to take steps to strengthen cooperation between clients and providers in the industry, with especially strong focus on initiatives to optimise the role of market research at the client side.

The leaders endorsed starting the 'Marco Polo' initiative, an industry research project aimed at collecting up to date, in-depth knowledge of corporations' needs regarding market research. Industry leaders also approved the outlines of a plan to create an industry forum earmarked to continue the industry reform process started at RELEAS on a permanent basis.

RELEAS 2 is the second stage of a three stage process aimed at redefining and strengthening the market research industry. The third and last RELEAS Global Leadership Summit will be held in January 2003.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.