# Do you think market research is evil? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884 "2004-05-06T18:17:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/21 "2009-08-05T20:31:55Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > I usually give fake names and addresses for them. It’s not like the customer service counter people check. > > I imagine the person living at 666 Scary St. in Scaryville, OH has received a whole bunch of junk mail addressed to Travis Bickle. Yeah, I just flat out lie if I need to get a discount “prefered user” card to shop at a grocery story. You have to get one in order to get the so called discounts. The funny thing is that I have lived in the area all my life and some of the clerks behind the counter know that’s not my real name. ---
**Author:** ![Rosie\_is\_Tired](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Rosie\_is\_Tired](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosie_is_Tired)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/22 "2009-08-05T22:28:17Z")
I participate when I’m asked by hulu and other sites with free content. I like hulu and free web tv, I want to encourage them. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/23 "2009-08-05T22:40:00Z")
I’ll participate in focus-group type _‘how can we make product/service X better for everyone?’_ market research, but that stuff is pretty thin on the ground. The rest of it seems to consist of _‘How can we better profile you so as to bombard you with the kinds of product promotion that will best enable us to siphon cash directly out of your wallet?’_ - and I object (violently) to the notion that this is something I should ever have to devote any time or attention to. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/24 "2009-08-06T00:35:07Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I used to be a regular poll-taker for Modern Rock Me too. I’d get a monthly 5 minute phone call that would play snippets of songs, which I would then rate from 1-5, tell how sick I was of the song (1-5). There was always 2 open-ended current favorite and current most hated song questions. I like to think I was personally responsible for getting Bush and “Cornflake Girl” off the air. Although I was never able to get any airplay for Southern Culture on the Skids, despite my constant high ratings. At the beginning of each call, they’d review my demographic data. Once a year I’d update my age. “You are 28, correct?” “No actually, I’m 29 now” “OK”. The month I turned 30, the surveyor paused “Oh…sorry, we can’t use you anymore. Bye”. Apparently once you turn 30, modern rock stations don’t give a shit if you listen to them. ---
**Author:** ![Manwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Manwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manwich)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/25 "2009-08-06T03:33:48Z")
> [@chatnoir](#): > > I know market research is evil because I work for market research. > > There is so much I’d love to get off my chest about this despicable job, unfortunatley I signed a confidentiality agreement. > > But for the most part, if you think participating in a survey is annoying, imagine the hell it is to be the one who has to administer it, especially when there are quotas to meet, and corporate higher ups threaten discipline if you don’t. > > It’s true that many market research surveys are long, arduous, and repetitive. If they weren’t everyone’s lives, especially the employees of such firms would be so much better, but for some reason which I cannot understand, they find this to be necessary. > > I’ve been trying to find a new job for five months now. ☹ I don’t work in market research anymore, but it was a great job. I worked for a company that cared about its reputation and always tried to do things properly and obtain accurate information. I’m sorry you work for such a bad company. You are unlucky and your bosses are evil. They are making the world a worse place. I realise a lot (most?) market research is poorly done but there are some good companies that provide valuable information with little inconveniance to the public. I mean, its almost like magic. If we call 1000 people, we can learn what an entire nation thinks about an important issue with a fair degree of accuracy. More commonly, we are finding out what brands of toilet paper they can name. Just to address a few complaints above: Any survey that is optional, like internet polls and the details you give when you buy something or join a website are mostly bullshit and a waste of everyone’s time. I’m talking about that stuff. We need to get a particular person in the household because we need a random sample. We don’t just want whoever answers the phone because that would not be random. This means we might call back to get the right person. But if you tell us to go away, we should. We should tell you how long the survey will take and it shouldn’t be too long. Who wants to spend 30 minutes answering questions on the phone? Thats bad survey design. We don’t want people to stop in the middle of the survey - its a waste of money and again, it biases the sample. The questions shouldn’t be repetative either. We don’t want to annoy the nice people who are providing us with a free serivce (as noted above.) Better market research makes companies more efficient. They can learn what stuff people want. Of course, they can also learn how to make people happy without actually improving their product and service, so there are downsides. But in general, I think better information is good. Finally, if our clients have a brain, we have to be accurate. If we tell them 20% of people say they have bought their product in the last month but that doesn’t match their sales figures, we have some explaining to do. So, I agree that most market research is a pain in the arse but it can be a worthwhile, perhaps even noble endevour. Even when you are asking people about toilet paper. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/26 "2009-08-06T06:52:03Z")
I don’t think it’s evil; I think that, like many other tools, it’s often misused, either through ignorance or greed. One thing that amazes me is companies who consider that people who aren’t already using their product (or a competitor’s) aren’t part of their target group. There’s products I’d use if a specific detail that makes it unusable to me got corrected - I could represent a whole chunk of new market! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/27 "2009-08-06T07:03:12Z")
Evil or not, i think that market research should NOT have been exempted from the Do Not Call list. As others have noted, while market research _might_ (note the emphasis) end up being of some use to the customer in the long run, that doesn’t change the fact that it is, in many ways, no different from a sales call. Sure, a market researcher just wants to ask me questions, while a telemarketer wants me to actually hand over some money. But they are really not much different; in both cases, i’m giving something that is of value to me, for the benefit of the company on the other end of the line. A market research call IS a sales call, and should be treated accordingly by the Do Not Call legislation. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/28 "2009-08-06T15:46:48Z")
I see market research as good thing. It lowers the cost of products, because it allows manufacturers to make stuff that people want o buy. I always wonder about the idsasters you see in places like TJMAX-weird colors and styles that nobody wanted-isn’t not wasting resources making this stuff a good thing? ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/29 "2009-08-08T03:58:22Z")
If it is an evil, it is a necessary one. I have often thought they could use me as the anti-market research example. Whenever I find a new product that I love, it is sure to be a goner. Save yourselves the trouble and just run your shiat by me. If I like it, don’t waste yer time! ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/30 "2009-08-08T04:58:12Z")
> [@chatnoir](#): > > I know **market research is evil** because I work for market research. > > There is so much I’d love to get off my chest about this despicable job, unfortunatley I signed a confidentiality agreement. (Bolding mine) Sigh… well, so much for that confidentiality agreement. You revealed your employer’s biggest secret in your very first sentence. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/31 "2009-08-08T05:03:23Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > I usually give fake names and addresses for them. It’s not like the customer service counter people check. > > I imagine the person living at 666 Scary St. in Scaryville, OH has received a whole bunch of junk mail addressed to Travis Bickle. You forgot the zip code. Your “correct” address is: Travis Bickle 666 Scary St. Scaryville, OH, EIEIO ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/32 "2009-08-08T05:24:12Z")
Most of the market research I’ve done I get a tangible reward. Near my high school there was a little office where they’d do taste tests on things (chips, hamburgers, drinks) and I’d basically get a snack and then money to cover my lunch for that day (it was usually 5-10 dollars though once I got 20 for taking ten minutes out of my lunch to eat hamburgers and fill in a couple questions on a piece of paper). I’ve taken part in some others when I moved. Mom ended up on their calling list somehow, but she didn’t want to do them so I said I would. I’d usually take an hour out of my evening to have an interesting discussion on things ranging from pizza to shopping mall amenities to government programs, they’d feed us supper (sandwiches and coffee) and pay us (50-80 dollars). I was happy to be able to voice my opinion on the government one as it was (and is) quite relevant to me, though I haven’t seen any changes. Currently I’m seeing the results of the shopping mall one though, they are renovating the mall nearest me which we discovered was the one asking questions at the end and I am seeing some of the things mentioned at the panel showing up (play areas for the kids, a MUCH nicer breastfeeding/changing room not the dingy horrid place they had before and even leather chairs and wide screen tv’s showing sports). Phone ones though? I prefer not to take part in those ones. Sometimes I will (usually Ipsos Reid ones on how the government is doing) but most of the time I’m polite and tell them to bugger off and they leave me be. (I used to work for Ipsos actually, so I know what it’s like on the other side of the phone… I only get rude when they get pushy). ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884/33 "2009-08-08T07:15:57Z")
I usually answer the surveys that I get from the hotels I stay at if the staff were really helpful. People who work hard deserve recognition, especially if most of the time they are working by themselves or without others around and their supervisors don’t see how well they are treating their customers. I’ve been compensated for marketing research stuff and I thought it was pretty fun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-market-research-is-evil/243884.md?page=1)