Dave Rossiter has navigated the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR) blog into an ongoing discussion about analyst ethics and independence. The post more or less recounts the usual assortment of issues and war stories, and then poses the perennial question:
“As analyst relations professionals, we face a challenge. What responsibility do we have for ensuring these practices are stamped out? Are we proactive or do we just refuse to support them? Do we have a ‘quiet word’ in the right ear? Do we out the bad apples in public?”
Whether the IIAR is truly sinking its teeth into the issue — or simply jumping the shark — remains to be seen.
The IIAR needs to focus attention on where it can make a positive impact. If you look closely, David does bring up one area where the IIAR could make an impact: the misuse of briefings as sales calls.
This is actionable because it’s a specific business practice, it’s commonplace, each occurrence is obvious, and each occurrence is easily documented. As an added bonus, there’s no “objectivity” rhetoric around it to make AR practitioners uneasy: an analyst sales pitch is attached, or it’s not.
Plus, a precedent exists. ESOMAR’s guideline, “Maintaining Distinctions between Marketing Research and Direct Marketing,” addresses similar issues within the context of consumer market research:
“Whenever researchers are acting in their capacity as researchers they must not be involved in carrying out direct marketing or other non-research activities. Such activities are by definition incompatible with Rule 4 of the International Code which safeguards the confidentiality of respondents’ personal data which have been collected for marketing research purposes and prevents these from being used for any non-research purpose.
“This Rule does not prevent researchers, when they are acting in a different capacity (e.g. as a general information manager), from being involved with the operation of marketing databases. However, in such a case they must clearly differentiate such an activity from their work as a marketing researcher and avoid any confusion arising between the
two types of activity.”
Of course, the IIAR would need to clean up some questionable AR practices around briefings, as well.
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