In our field of work, we are particularly dependent on public trust.

As a result of this, in 1948, the ESOMAR European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research published the first set of guidelines, which were combined with the ICI International Chamber of Commerce regulations in 1976.  This framework serves to ensure that market research is carried out in a fair, objective and discreet manner with the interviewee, free of disadvantages for him/her, and based at all times on his/her voluntary participation.

A central element in this process is that the identity of information providers is never disclosed. Data is presented solely as group results, such as tables, lists or reports; individual interviewees remain anonymous.

Even if the interviewer knows the identity of the interviewee, and even if an interviewee’s name and address is recorded for monitoring purposes at the institute, answers (= the survey) and the target person (= address) are separated immediately. Such personal data is never passed on to third parties, nor is it used for advertising or sales purposes.

We are bound by these regulations, which also serve to distinguish us from other companies, such as direct marketing, mailing list publishers, call centres, etc.

We also uphold strict principles of client confidentiality.

In order to ensure an optimal evaluation process, clients introduce us to their problems and goals, what they want to know and why they want to know it. Right from the briefing meeting, we treat such internal information with the utmost confidentiality. No one learns from us that company X has given us assignment Y (even our interviewers are never told who has commissioned the surveys they carry out).
And no one learns of results from us.
Except when the client requests it.

LINK: www.esomar.org