(a) Market research is a key element within the total field of marketing information. It links the consumer, customer and public to the marketer through information that is used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine and evaluate marketing actions; improve understanding of marketing as a process and of the ways in which specific marketing activities can be made more effective.

Market research contributes the information required to address these issues; designs the method for collecting information; manages and implements the data collection process; analyses the results; and communicates the findings and their implications. Market research includes such activities as quantitative surveys; qualitative research; media and advertising research; business-to-business and industrial research; research among minority and special groups; public opinion surveys; and office research.

In the context of this Code the term market research also covers social research. This other type of research uses similar approaches and techniques to study issues not concerned with the marketing of goods and services. The applied social sciences equally depend upon such methods of empirical research to develop and test their underlying hypotheses; and to understand, predict and provide guidance on developments within society for governmental, academic and other purposes.

Market research differs from other forms of information gathering in that the identity of the provider of information is not disclosed. Database marketing and any other activity where the names and addresses of the people contacted are to be used for individual selling, promotional, fund-raising or other non-research purposes can under no circumstances be regarded as marketing research since the latter is based on preserving the complete anonymity of the respondent.

(b) Researcher is defined as any individual, research agency, organization, department or division which carries out or acts as a consultant on a marketing research project or offers their services to do so.

The term includes any individual, research agency (...), which belongs to the same organization as the client's. A researcher linked to the client in this way has the same responsibilities under this Code vis-à-vis other sections of the client organization, as does one who is completely independent of the latter.

The term also covers responsibility for the procedures followed by any subcontractor from whom the researcher commissions any work (data collection or analysis, printing, and professional advisory, among others) which forms any part of the research project. In such cases the researcher must ensure that any such subcontractor fully complies with the provisions of this Code.

(c) Client is defined as any individual, organization, department or division (including one that belongs to the same organization as the researcher) which requests, commissions or subscribes to all or any part of a marketing research project.

(d) Respondent is defined as any individual or organization from which any information is sought by the researcher for the purposes of a marketing research project. The term covers cases where information is to be obtained by verbal interviewing techniques, postal and other self-administered questionnaires, mechanical or electronic equipment, observation and any other method where the identity of the provider of the information may be recorded or otherwise traceable.

(e) Interview is defined as any form of direct or indirect contact, using any of the methods referred to above. The interview's objective is to acquire data or information from the respondent that could be used in whole or in part for the purposes of a marketing research project.

(f) Record is defined as any summary, proposal, questionnaire, respondent identification, check list, record sheet, audio or audio-visual recording or film, tabulation or computer print-out, EDP disc or other storage medium, formula, diagram, and report, among others. It covers records produced by the client as well as by the researcher.