Market Research Is Not a Network

And that’s the problem…

Over the past decade, market research has increasingly been described as a “community”, a “network”, or an ecosystem of connections. Platforms, groups, and informal collectives have multiplied, promising visibility, collaboration, and opportunity.

While these structures create movement, they do not create professional clarity. Networking has become a substitute for structure, and presence has replaced standards. As a result, market research is often framed as a social space rather than a professional discipline.

This shift has consequences that are rarely acknowledged.

Networks are designed to connect people. They are not designed to define professional responsibility. In a network, legitimacy is often driven by activity, visibility, or proximity rather than by shared standards.

For independent researchers, this creates a fragile environment. Opportunities circulate, but expectations remain unclear. Trust is implied rather than established. Each professional must constantly reaffirm their credibility without a common reference point to support it.

What looks like openness often hides inconsistency.

A network can connect professionals. It cannot certify how they work.

When market research relies primarily on networks, the profession becomes uneven. Quality is difficult to assess, accountability is diffuse, and standards vary from one collaboration to another. This does not benefit clients, nor does it protect researchers.

Independent professionals, in particular, are exposed to this ambiguity. Without a recognised framework, their work is evaluated subjectively, often through reputation rather than methodology. Over time, this weakens the collective credibility of independent research.

What is missing is not connection. It is structure.

From Networks to Professional Framework

The Market Research Chartered Association does not aim to replace networks, nor to compete with communities. Connections have value. Exchange matters. But they cannot serve as the foundation of professional trust.

MRCA exists to provide what networks cannot: a shared professional framework designed for independent market research. One that clarifies expectations, defines standards, and establishes accountability beyond visibility.

Market research is not a network.

It is a profession. And professions require structure.