The Australian Financial Review (12 July) reported on the Society's name change in a brief item that also stated, 'The federal government and Labor are keen to set up a do not call register to stop consumers receiving unsolicited calls from telemarketers. Research firms would be exempt.'

Lindsay Tanner, shadow communications minister, said in a media release issued on 4 July, 'Charities, political organisations and telephone surveyors making non-commercial calls will be exempt from the [do not call] list.'

B&T reported on the name change on 16 July in a brief article that explained that one of the primary reasons was to differentiate research from selling and fundraising activities.

On the same day, AdNews expanded on the story and linked it to the Society's efforts to distinguish itself from telemarketing in current debate about the regulation of telecommunications' customer lists and, in particular, the Australian Direct Marketing Association's calls for market and social research to be included on its mooted 'do not call' register. AMSRS president John Sergeant was quoted in the article, saying ADMA was 'attempting to muddy the waters' between telemarketing and research.

'A general register will confuse the issue, actually denying [the public] the opportunity to have input into decisions on things they might care about,' John told AdNews.

ADMA CEO Rob Edwards refuted this, saying 'If they [AMSRS] put this to the public, the public will tell them "do not call'.'

In reply to the AdNews article, the Society pointed out:

1. People can say 'don't call me' to the interviewer and that will be respected. They can also say 'no' to the call. (Newton Wayman Chong's research shows that people are likely to pick and choose when participate, and in what research project.)

2. People can independently check the bona fides of the research company by dialling Surveyline on 1300 364 832.

3. The Society can, and does, provide further advice to them about how to reduce the number of unwanted calls they receive

4. It is very common for the Society to find that people are complaining about telemarketing and that the first opportunity they have had to express their concerns is when a research company has provided them with the 1300 number.

5. The Society explains the difference between telemarketing calls and research calls and provides the ADMA do not call number if telemarketing is part of the caller's problem. People, more often than not, say they do not mind participating in genuine research when the difference is outlined. They are just sick of the volume of unsolicited calls in general, and of being pursued to buy things in particular.

6. Surveyline covers almost all bona fide research companies and it connects people not only to a calling centre but to a person, on request. ADMA's 'do not call' list, on the other hand, provides people with access to a list which may or may not be used by direct marketing companies (it is entirely voluntary and many companies would not refer to it). The research industry therefore provides a much more comprehensive and user-friendly response to the concerns of Australians who are called in their homes by people they don't know.

7. It is fair to challenge Rob Edwards' comment - 'Give them the choice and they will say no' - because he does not acknowledge how much the research industry is doing to actually provide that choice.

Meanwhile, another media story highlighted the benefits research can deliver business.

GUD Holdings' (better known as its brands Sunbeam and Victa) saviour Ian Campbell, who took the reigns in the late 90s, partly attributed the company's revival to research (along with a major restructure that saw manufacturing moved offshore) in an article in The Age in 10 July. Last year Sunbeam introduced 75 new appliances, many in upmarket, high-profit niches 'discovered through market research'.

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