INTRODUCTION
In 2010, ESOMAR in cooperation with CASRO released a first guideline for conducting research via mobile
phones. This addressed the legal, ethical and practical considerations for conducting market research by
using voice or text messaging (SMS) to contact respondents on their mobile phones. Since then the use of
mobile devices of all kinds (feature phones, smartphones, tablets and portable computers) has grown
dramatically across the globe and, in the case of smartphones and tablets, has enabled a new range of
research methods. These include online surveys, passive data collection, geo-location and geo-fencing
applications, open ended mobile contextual data, online diaries and other forms of mobile ethnography
where respondents record their and other people’s everyday movements, sometimes taking advantage of
portable photographic and video technology.
The fact that so much personal data can be collected so easily has caused regulators to question whether
current legislation provides sufficient guarantees that individuals are aware and informed when personal
data are being collected and shared. Areas of special focus are notice, choice and consent, security and
accountability.
Therefore, it is critical that ESOMAR expand its earlier guidance to include the conduct of market, social
and opinion research using mobile devices. To that end ESOMAR partnered with the Mobile Marketing
Research Association to develop this new guidance. Its purpose is to promote respectful relationships with
the individuals contacted for research purposes and to assist researchers in addressing legal, ethical, and
practical considerations when conducting mobile market research.