SUGGing and FRUGGing: Practices as ugly as they sound
Matt Blumberg, Return Path CEO
February 09 2007
We love surveys. Though many people in direct marketing don't know it, we have a large business unit, Authentic Response, that provides a global online sample aimed at helping market researchers connect with qualified panelists via our MyView.com portal. And, like most companies, we use surveys to get a read on what our customers want from us and how we can improve their experience with us.
Market research is an industry that prides itself on accuracy and purity of data, which is why I want to use this column to let direct marketers know how painful it is when companies poison the market research well by engaging in SUGGing and FRUGGing.
For the uninitiated, SUGGing is the acronym for selling under the guise of research. This occurs when a company sends a fake survey to sell a product or service. In some cases the survey is a sweepstakes entry that is purely aimed at lead generation (Think: Which do you like better - Pepsi or Coke?). In other cases th
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