As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continues to unfold, the Insights Association stands ready to be a resource to help you and your business. If your work has been or is in danger of being impacted from this situation, IA may be able to connect you with backup or supplemental market research / data analytics resources. Please contact us. We also are a conduit to peers in leadership positions throughout the industry and can facilitate discussions on contingency planning and crisis management. 

With the situation evolving rapidly, it is essential for business leaders to become knowledgeable and remain informed. Timely, effective communication with employees, clients, suppliers, etc. is critical. Following are several respected sources for the latest information.  

IA's Virtual Town Halls:

• Continuing Through COVID, July 10 Featured presenters: Chris Jackson, Ipsos; Kathy Sheehan, Cassandra (ENGINE); Laura Craig, Delvinia; Moderated by Melanie Courtright, Insights Association. Access Presentation Slides; View Session Recording; View Session Transcript

• Reopening Insights, May 20: Featured Presenters: Jamin Brazil, Co-Founder & CEO, HubUx; Tracy Isacco, VP of Operations, L&E Research; Felicia Rogers, Executive Vice President, Decision Analyst; Joel Rubinson, President, Rubinson Partners; Melanie Courtright, CEO, Insights Association. Contact us to request access to the recording. A written transcript is available here.

• Time for Insights to Prove Business Impact, May 15: Featured Presenters: Andrew Cannon, Global Research Business Network; Simon Chadwick, Cambiar; Lisa Courtade, Merck & Co, Inc. USA; Camille Nicita, Gongos, Inc.; Mario Simon, Boston Consulting Group; Melanie Courtright, Insights Association. Access a recording here. A written transcript is available here.

• The Insights Industry Beyond COVID-19, May 8: Featured Presenters: Simon Chadwick, Managing Partner, Cambiar; Lenny Murphy, Executive Editor, GreenBook; Ken Sonenclar, Managing Director, DeSilva+Phillips; Melanie Courtright, CEO, Insights Association. Access a recording here. A written transcript is available here.

  Managing Remote Teams, May 1: Featured Presenters: Kathryn Korostoff, President, Research Rockstar; Brian O'Meara, Director of Marketing, Ezentria; Caron Merrill, Director of Enterprise Insights, CVS Health; Jorge Restrepo, CEO, EurekaFacts; Melanie Courtright, CEO, Insights Association. Access a recording here. A written transcript is available here.

• The Search for New Employment in Insights, April 24. Featured presenters: Merrill Dubrow, CEO, M/A/R/C Research; Matt O’Mara, Managing Director, Cranbrook Search Consultants; Terrae Schroeder, Head of U.S. Insights, Kellogg’s; Melanie Courtright, CEO, Insights Association. Access a recording here. A written transcript is available here. 
   
• COVID-19 Relief Available for Businesses and Individuals, and New Legal Challenges Facing Insights Professionals, April 17. Featured presenters: John Miller, U. S. Small Business Administration; Loren Sweatt, U. S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration; Dean Heyl, U. S. Department of Labor; Stuart Pardau, Stuart L. Pardau and Associates; Russ Anderson, Pullman & Comley; Howard Fienberg, VP, Advocacy, Insights Association; Melanie Courtright, CEO, Insights Association. Access Recording Here. A written transcript is available here.
   
• Fireside Chat – Corporate Insights Departments Respond to COVID-19, April 10. Featured presenters: Khary Campbell, Assistant Vice President - Research and Innovation, L'Oréal; Jackie Chan, Vice President, Head of Decision Insights Group, Prudential Financial; Lisa Courtade, Executive Director, Department Head, Global Customer Insights, Merck & Co. Inc. USA; Brett Townsend, Director of North America Insights, Elextrolux; Melanie Courtright, CEO, Insights Association (moderator). Access Recording Here. A written transcript is available here.
   
• In Place, On Edge: Consumers & The COVID-19 Crisis, April 3. Featured presenters: Ugwal Arkalgud, MotiveBase; Will Leach, Triggerpoint; Jackie Lorch, Dynata; Chris Jackson, Ipsos; Michelle Gansle, Mars; Melanie Courtright, Insights Association (Moderator). Access Recording Here. A written transcript is available here.
   
• The Economy: Working Through the COVID-19 Uncertainty, March 27. Featured presenters: Ed Whitelaw, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Oregon; Kristin Luck, Founder & Managing Partner, ScaleHouse; Tyler McMullen, President, MarketVision Research; Melanie Courtright, CEO, Insights Association (Moderator) Access Recording Here. A written transcript is available here.
   
• COVID-19: Legal & Practical Implications for Insights, March 20. Featured presenters: Diane Surette, CEO, Burke; Anne Beall, CEO, Beall Research; Russ Anderson & Jon Orleans, attorneys at Pullman & Comley. Access Recording Here. A written transcript is available here.
   
• Managing The Coronavirus Outbreak, March 13. Featured presenters: Renowned crisis management expert Alan Hilburg, Howard Schlesinger, EVP, Legal at Schlesinger Group, and Isaac Rogers, CEO of 20/20 Research. Access Recording Here. A written transcript is available here.

IA COVID-19 Member Survey Reports
Understanding the ripple effect this pandemic is having on the insights and data analytics industry and its partnerships.

- Wave 2: April 6-7, 2020 
- Wave 1: March 18-19, 2020

News:

Insights Association Issues Reopening Guidelines for Insights Businesses
As stay-at-home orders are lifted in some states and extended in others, mapping out a reopening strategy is difficult. Layered onto this shifting situation are rules variations across jurisdictions and oftentimes murky or contradictory communications. So IA released guidelines to assist:

• General Guidelines for Reopening Insights Businesses
• Guidelines for Reopening In-person Qualitative Facilities
• Other Recommendations for Reopening Insights Work

Insights Association Calls for Suspension of Non-Compete Agreements Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
Companies should not enforce restrictions for laid-off staff without full compensation, declares leading market research/data analytics industry organization.

U.S. Insights Industry Appeals to Federal Government for Help During COVID-19 Crisis
In a letter sent on March 24, 2020, Melanie Courtright, CEO of the Insights Association, urged the Federal government to: (1) support in-person insights businesses in the same manner as the hospitality and leisure industry; (2) provide "relief from immediate repayment of loans to support insights businesses, especially small businesses"; (3) consider “continuing support for small businesses in our industry after the crisis”; and (4) “modernize or streamline regulations that impede insights work,” such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

MREF Launches COVID-19 Relief Campaign
The Market Research Education Foundation (MREF) has launched an industry-wide $100K campaign to support individuals across North America who are facing hunger and food insecurity during the current health crisis. This effort will support food banks, pantries and school meal programs through Feeding America and Foodbanks Canada.

Resources: Funding, Loans, Taxes, and Unemployment 

• From IA: More Small Business and Employer Assistance in Latest House COVID-19 Funding Bill
• From IA: Phillips-Roy Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act 
• From IA: H.R. 6751 Would Allow Venture Capital Funded Firms to Apply for Forgivable Small Business Loans 
• From IA: PPP Loan Forgiveness Obviates Some Business Tax Deductions 
• From IA: U.S. Small Business Loan Programs Reopened 
• From IA: Private Groups Also Offering Small Businesses Some Emergency Funding 
• From IA: CARES Act: New Main Street Lending Program from the Federal Reserve 
• From IA: CARES Act: Tax Change to Allow Net Operating Losses Carried Back
• From IA: CARES Act: Unemployment Insurance Even for Part-Timers and Independent Contractors 
• From IA: CARES Act Makes It Easier to Take Distributions and Loans from Retirement Accounts
• From IA: Resources for Insights Businesses in Canada Facing the Coronavirus Economic Crisis 
• From IA: Improving Access to Federal Assistance for Equity-Funded Small Businesses in the Insights Industry 
• From IA: CARES Act: The New Paycheck Protection Program Loans for Small Businesses 
• From IA: CARES Act: SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program and Emergency Economic Injury Grants  
• From IA: U.S. Insights Industry Appeals to Federal Government for Help During COVID-19 Crisis 
• Northern Virginia rapid response state funding for small businesses for "layoff averson"
• Maryland state emergency relief grants and loans
• Connecticut Department of Economic Community Development's (DECD) Small Business Express Recovery Bridge Loan Program 
• IRS: Economic impact payments: What you need to know

Resources: Legal Issues During the Coronavirus Crisis

• From IA: Senate and House Democrats Want to Use the CARES Act to Prevent Mergers and Acquisitions 
• From IA: Employer and Employee COVID Protection Act – H.R. 6844 
• From IA: H.R. 6601 Would Treat Reopening Businesses as Reasonable in Coronavirus Litigation 
• From IA: Litigation Protection Will Be Needed to Reopen American Economy
• From IA: New law: Utah S.B. 3007 Provides Well-Intentioned Businesses Legal Immunity from COVID-19 Claims 
• From IA: Canadian Privacy Law Guidance During the Pandemic
• From IA: California Workers Compensation and Disability Benefits Now Presume COVID-19 Ailments are Employers’ Responsibility 
• From IA: House Democrats Pursue Moratorium on Mergers and Acquisitions During the Pandemic 
• From IA: Restarting In-Person Qualitative Research After COVID-19: Guielines for in-person qualitative facilities 
• From IA: Back to the Office After COVID-19? Guidance from the Insights Association for Re-Opening 
• From IA: Proposal to Ban Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions During COVID-19 Crisis 
• From IA: Employee Retention and Termination: Additional Employment Law Considerations in Light of COVID-19 
• From IA: Insights Association Calls for Suspension of Non-Compete Agreements Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
• From IA: Non-Compete Agreements in the Insights Industry 
• From IA: HIPAA Privacy Rule in the COVID-19 Crisis
• From IA: FDA Guidance for Adverse Event Reporting During COVID-19 Crisis 
• From IA: Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act 
• From IA: More Restrictions on Phone Calls During COVID-19 Pandemic 
• From IA: How Has the Shift to Work From Home Impacted Your Information Security Risk?
• New OSHA poster highlighting 10 infection prevention measures for the workplace. 
• Guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on the new FFCRA Expanded Family and Medical Leave Requirements for Employers and Employees, with related Q&A. There's also a poster to explain it to your employees.
• Guidance for Businesses and Employers from the U.S. Small Business Administration
• Employee Rights Under The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (U.S. Dept. of Labor)
• States and their orders on remote notarization. 
• Shelter in place orders and essential business designations.
• An interactive map of stay at home orders 
• Real Estate - A 50-state guide to COVID-19 policies or moratoriums on evictions or foreclosures 
• From IA: With a state of emergency being called in many jurisdictions across the United States, does that mean you can't make telephone research calls?
• From IA: Evaluating How the COVID-19 Pandemic May Impact Your Customer and Vendor Contracts
• From IA: Lawyers provide some practical pointers to help you and your business/organization prepare, as employers, for “Coronavirus Disease 2019” (COVID-19).
• Defining “Essential” Business Operations: A State-By-State Guide (From RedStag Fulfillment) 

Resources: Health, etc.

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Travel information and alerts
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Interim guidance for businesses and employers
• Dr. Esther Libman Addresses COVID-19 Hygiene And Prevention with a Touch of Humor 
• World Health Organization - Advice for the public
• World Health Organization - Planning recommendations for mass gatherings
• Johns Hopkins University - Live COVID-19 case tracker
• Harvard Medical School - COVID-19 medical resource center
• SBA's local resources to counsel, mentor and train small businesses
• More resources from SBA during the coronavirus crisis
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Resources
• Inc. Article about Aid to Small Businesses  
• Analyzing COVID-19 with BigQuery

Consumer Behavior / Insights-Specific Studies, Commentary & Perspectives

• The Consumer in the Changing Age of COVID (from Gongos & DISQO)
• Reuters/Ipsos Coronavirus Poll
• Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index
• International Survey on Coronavirus
• Dynata’s Global Trends Report COVID-19 Edition: The New Normal
• Keeping the Pulse of the Consumer and COVID-19 (from Engine)
• The COVID-19 Consumer: Updates On Sentiment And Behavior (from RTi Research)
• American and European Consumer Price Sensitivity Holds Steady for CPG Brands During COVID Crisis (from SKIM)
• Perceptions & Effects of COVID-19 As It Relates to Media Consumption  (from Invoke)
• Navigating to a New Normal (from Ignite 360) 
• Co-creating brand innovations for a post-lockdown world (InSites Consulting)
• Weekly Consumer Tracking Surveys (from Luth Research) 
• What impact will COVID have on your global payer strategy? (Medical Marketing Economics)
• Coronavirus Tracking Survey (from Reconnect Research)
• The COVID-19 Emergency in Italy: How Italians are Coping (Rome Field & Research International) 
• The Coronavirus 2020 Crisis US Consumer Sentiment Trend Report - June (from CI/Sonar - Consumer Insights Group)
• Gauging Consumers' Emotional Reaction to COVID-19 Messages (from Marketing Brainology)
• Coronavirus Questions: How will it impact market research initiatives? Just Ask…(from Echo Market Research) 
• Coronavirus Resource Hub (from Delvinia)
• Social Distancing Taking Root, But Could the Crisis Spur Enduring Changes in Work Culture? (from Shapiro + Raj)
• Tracking COVID-19's ongoing impact on retail, CPG, tech and other industries (from Rival Technologies)
• Stuck-At-Home Marketing & Sales (from Harpeth Marketing)
• COVID-19 and its Impact on Market Research (from EMI)
• WIRe’s We’re in this Together Resource Page
• Supporting Public Opinion Data Related to COVID-19 (from The Roper Center)
• Me Over We: Why We Hoard Toilet Paper (from Mona Patel, Motivate Impact)

Please share your COVID-19-related resources with us and reach out with any questions or requests.