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News Tip: Do-Not-Call Registry Could Harm Market Research

Do-Not-Call law would make it "harder for firms to contact people with whom they do not have an existing business relationship," Duke professor says

 

DURHAM, N.C. -- The National Do-Not-Call Registry, designed to prevent unwanted solicitation calls to consumers, could also harm legitimate market research and reduce competition, says a marketing professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

The Do-Not-Call legislation allows calls to the home from market research firms that are not selling a product. But professor John G. Lynch Jr. says this fact has not been widely publicized, and some firms are finding that consumers who signed up for the registry are irate about getting legitimate market research calls.

"This is causing unintended harm to market research and other forms of polling that rely on random sampling techniques to be able to project their findings to some universe of interest," says Lynch, the Merilee and Roy Bostock Family Professor of Marketing at Fuqua.

Lynch teaches about market intelligence in Fuqua's MBA program, and much of his research is about the effects of information on consumer welfare.

"This law may serve to reduce competition by making it harder for firms to contact people with whom they do not have an existing business relationship," Lynch says.

To reach Lynch for additional comment, contact Jim Gray at (919) 660-2935 or by email at jigray@mail.duke.edu.

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