ASMR – how it can help you and how you can help it

THE ARCHIVE OF MARKET AND SOCIAL RESEARCH 

The AMSR is there for you to use – but also relies on donations and support from within the MR industry. Can you help by…

• Donating historical research reports – quantitative or qualitative although they are currently most interested in qualitative reports.  They could be in hard copy or digital form.
• Volunteering to help in various ways.  AMSR can only continue through the support of volunteers (archiving, promoting, administratively etc.) – so if you have any spare time, please get in touch with them today. 

What is  AMSR? 

Since WWII the UK has been one of the leading countries in the development and use of qualitative and quantitative survey research to advise social policy and marketing action.  But surprisingly, there is no comprehensive source of this information.  AMSR has been set up to provide this source before all relevant papers, publications and memories are lost forever.

This archive will eventually contain all significant projects, technical papers, survey results, qualitative reports and biographical details from published papers, journals, books and newsletters covering the fields of UK market and social research over the last 70 years.

As such, it is easily available at www.amsr.org.uk – much of it in digital form, to anyone with an interest in finding out more about social and market trends and other findings from these kinds of research, the technical developments involved, and the history of the industry itself.  Such research has now become a major part of everyday life, affecting all activities including our food, drink, lifestyles, media, finance, travel, and social attitudes.

The hard copy data archive is deposited and professionally managed at the History of Advertising Trust in East Anglia, which has the best archival skills, space and resources.

Who is the AMSR?

AMSR is a fully registered charity who’s Trustees include distinguished research professionals with a deep knowledge and concern for the enduring reputation of the industry:

Dr Elizabeth Nelson OBE (Chairman),  John Downham (Vice Chairman), Raz Khan (Treasurer), Ian Brace (Secretary), Geoffrey Roughton, Adam Phillips, Bryan Bates, Simon Patterson, Phyllis Vangelder, Peter Bartram, and Jane Frost ( MRS CEO). 

Who are its main supporters?

An increasing number of leading organisations and individuals from the research industry, so far including WPP, Kantar, Flamingo, Network Research, Sir Robert Worcester, Sir Ivor Crewe, Tony Cowling, Ruth Betts, Gill Wareing, Virginia Monk, Kirsty Fuller, Simone Williams, Peter Mouncey, Colin McDonald, Robin Birn, Judith Wardle, Judie Lannon, and 22 pledged subscribers.

AMSR is also supported by key organisations including The Market Research Society (MRS), The Association of Qualitative Researchers (AQR), The Social Research Association (SRA), and The Association of Users of Research Agencies (AURA).

Who is the archive for?

The archive provides a great resource for many different groups:

For Research Companies, it will enable their executives and directors to find out about published work on techniques and their uses, and the background to specific markets; and it will also provide an opportunity to lodge their own archives in a secure home

For Social Policy Makers and Companies which use research, to find out about research on their markets and targeted population groups, the background to the development of their markets, and again, a secure home for their own research archives

For Journalists and Media Organisations it provides a source of data and insights on all kinds of market and social environment, and background information on the research industry itself

For Social, Marketing, Management and Research Academics and Students, it provides easy access to published work on techniques and their uses, background information on specific markets and population groups, and the history of  research industry organisations and key individuals

For any member of the public interested in UK social history, insights on the   development of behaviour, tastes, opinions, characteristics and  preferences of both consumers and the general population.

Progress Achieved

• We are generating awareness of the existence of the archive, its purposes, resources and benefits, via Social Media, Newsletters, Press Releases, Social Events and the AMSR website at www.amsr.org.uk
• We are raising the £30,000 per annum needed to sustain its operation during the coming years including the amount required to secure our contract with the History of Advertising Trust.
• We are collecting relevant research material from individuals and organisations across the research industry, much of which will be stored in digital form.