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Being chosen to participate in a qualitative market research event (like a focus group or in-depth interview) can feel like a huge accomplishment. After passing through screening surveys and interviews, you finally get to the interesting face-to-face part of the research that you actually get paid for! It may have taken several attempts to get this far, but you’ve finally found the right research event for you.

When you attend the event, you often find yourself participating in exercises and activities that seem loosely connected to the product or service being researched. You might wonder how coloring pictures or imagining personalities for brands could possibly help the researchers. Then it can be confusing when they tell you that everything you’ve seen or discussed is confidential. Does it really matter if Brand X reminds you of an orange and Brand Y reminds you of a banana?

But to the clients paying for the research, such as the marketing director of Brand Y, this insight is not only incredibly valuable, but also highly sensitive. They might have a branding problem, be trying to reposition themselves, or be about to launch a new product line. They could be investing in a major advertising campaign, and how you respond to those ads provides vital intelligence to help them make decisions. This is why secrecy becomes intense and you’ll be asked not to disclose the specific details of what happened in the research session.

Depending on what you’re going to see, you might be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is common in research for technology companies, whose new directions need to remain secret to stay ahead of competitors. It’s also common in trend-heavy markets like car design or fashion, where big product launches rely on a surprise reveal at the right time.

If you’re asked to sign a legally binding agreement, you should always be given time to read and understand it. The language is often complex and demanding, and it’s hard to find time for this during a tightly-scheduled research interview or focus group. Typically, your recruiter will send the agreement to you in advance so you can print it out and carefully review it, making sure you understand the requirements and expectations.

In other cases, the issue will be addressed through the wording on the sign-in sheet when you arrive at the research event to register and receive your incentive payment. Even if it’s condensed, it’s important to take the time to read through it and ensure you’re comfortable with what you’re agreeing to, no matter how eager you are to sign in and get paid. By signing your name, you’re entering into an agreement, and there are likely confidentiality clauses that also protect you, so examine it closely.

All these measures are in place to protect the commercially sensitive nature of the research you’re involved in. It’s perfectly fine to mention that you participated in a focus group or interview and describe the activities you did. Just remember that anything you were told or shown that’s not yet public knowledge needs to remain that way for now. Then, when they finally launch that new application or advertisement, you can proudly say, “I helped with that!”

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Ihab Salloum