ISO group chief voices concern over ARF online standards initiative
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US-- Erich Wiegand, chair of the ISO working group developing online access panel standards, has voiced his concern over the news that the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) has embarked upon its own standards initiative.
Details of the ARF's Online Research Quality Council were announced yesterday.
Wiegand, who is also managing director of German MR industry association ADM, told Research: “The quality issues dealt with by this national ARF initiative are all covered by the planned ISO standard on ‘Access Panels in Market, Opinion and Social Research'.
“Therefore, from my point of view, it is an unreasonable duplication of work – especially since the USA market research industry [has been] participating in the ISO project from its very beginning.”
He added: “The planned ISO standard will contain globally accepted quality requirements for access panels which will be defined as good research practice.”
Wiegand also said the US MR industry has been “extremely successful” in representing its ideas in the ISO working group and “most of their comments have been accepted and put into the final [draft] document…unanimously approved by participating countries, including the USA.”
However, ARF president Bob Barocci, told Research: “The ARF approach to standards actually will build on the ISO work. Our goal is to set the highest possible standards for the industry to meet and ask each provider for transparency.”
He added: “We would urge Erich to attend our September 10 meeting in New York City and will give him a spot on the agenda to update the council on the ISO specific deliverables, status and timetable and possibilities for collaboration.”
General US reaction appears to be supportive of the ARF initiative, claiming it to be complementary to ISO.
Peter Milla, chief information officer for Survey Sampling International, said: “Our people believe that industry cooperation is essential to achieve quality; and we see the efforts of CASRO, ISO and the ARF as complementary.
“We embrace the ARF initiative, and we're excited about the potential it offers to identify and address barriers to quality.
David Stark, vice president for public affairs at TNS Canadian Facts, echoed this view: “Several market research industry associations around the world have been revamping their internet research standards recently and these developments are all very positive. Without a doubt, these industry initiatives are important and necessary.
Meanwhile, Diane Bowers, president for the Council of American Survey Organisations (Casro), said: “This is not a duplicative effort on 20252 or the working group. Casro has just revised its mandatory code of standards. Other associations in many markets are looking to maintain quality as well. It doesn't mean that we are competing with ISO.”
“ISO will help model international standards consistent with Casro or Esomar, but country standards will always have to be in-line with what national culture, government and economy will tolerate. They will always be interpreted differently.”
Author: Matthew Secker
Related links:
ARF to probe online research quality
Access panel standard on course to reach ‘committee draft' stage in April
Online panels – exclusive analysis from the Research magazine archive
Global market research industry gets first ISO quality mark
