Market research is often confused with marketing, both in terms of how people think the law applies and sometimes, in the same interaction. Kept separate, the rules are very different, with the stricter restrictions imposed by PECR on direct marketing contact not applying to market research. But organisations still make a mess of things, so it’s worth thinking about the DP issues and getting it right.

It’s a matter of transparency, respecting rights and a bit of common sense, but I’ll cover it all.