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MRA is New Partner for CMOR
US research bodies CMOR and the MRA have announced a formal alliance, in an attempt to 'lead, unify and protect' the profession. CMOR and fellow association CASRO parted company last year due to differences of opinion about approaches to legislation.
The MRA (Marketing Research Association) is the largest research association in the US, and last year merged with the Interactive Marketing Research Organization (IMRO) for online researchers.
CMOR (the Council for Marketing and Opinion Research) focuses on government affairs, working to promote the integrity of the industry, and campaigning for legislation. It also works to improve respondent co-operation in research. CMOR's 150+ members include industry trade associations, research providers, client companies, academic institutions and individuals.
The two organisations will combine support services and share structures, while maintaining their individual leaderships. According to Terri Hansee, Chair of CMOR, the alliance is 'a win-win for CMOR and the research industry'. Hansee says that, by gaining the support of a larger organisation, CMOR is able to 'strengthen our resources while maintaining our independence, which is important to the work we do'.
Last year, the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) decided to part company with CMOR, due to disagreements over the approach to legislation affecting MR. Specifically, CASRO advocated describing market research as not covered by the Do Not Call legislation - because contact with the public does not amount to 'commercial speech'. CMOR, on the other hand, believes that MR firms should register as exempt organisations. CASRO felt such a move implied that market research contact did amount to 'commercial speech', and thus left the industry open to future legislation.
At the time, CASRO's Chairman Simon Chadwick said his organisation would continue to work informally with CMOR, while CMOR stated it would 'continue to pursue a spirit of collaboration with CASRO with high hopes that our differences can be resolved'. Full details of the split are online at www.mrweb.com/drno/news3309.htm and www.mrweb.com/drno/news3468.htm.
CMOR's web site is at www.cmor.org, the MRA is online at www.mra-net.org , while CASRO can be found at www.casro.org.
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