Frugging

Frugging is a deprecated and discouraged marketing practice involving soliciting donations or support under the guise of conducting market research. The term is a portmanteau of "fundraising" and "sugging." Frugging is considered unethical because it deceives individuals into participating in what they believe is a legitimate research study, when the primary motivation is to generate funds or support for a particular cause or organization. This misrepresentation can erode trust in genuine market research and negatively impact participation rates in legitimate surveys.

Frugging is often contrasted with sugging (selling under the guise of research), another unethical marketing practice. While frugging aims to raise funds, sugging attempts to sell products or services while posing as a market research survey. Both practices exploit the perceived neutrality and objectivity of market research to achieve ulterior commercial or fundraising motives.

The practice is generally frowned upon by market research professional associations and is often addressed in codes of conduct. Legitimate market research focuses on gathering honest insights and opinions to inform business decisions, while frugging uses research as a deceptive tool for fundraising. Consequently, frugging is detrimental to the integrity and credibility of the market research industry.