“Is my customer data safe and what will you actually do with it?”
Brand managers and companies store data about you as a consumer. They are continually gathering information through loyalty cards, surfing behavior, surveys, competitions, purchases, etc. But what for? To provide a better service, more personalized communication and offers that are suited to your circumstances. The government closely monitors companies to ensure they handle your personal data correctly and respectfully. Every aspect is regulated.
Below you can find out about how we process our clients’ data, your rights as a consumer and what you need to do if you wish to view or rectify your data.
How do we protect customer data that belong to our advertisers?
As an advertising agency, we process customer details on behalf of brands and companies. We are therefore not the owner of the customer details. We strictly adhere to the regulations and agreements with regard to data processing within our trade associations. For example, by the Association of Communications Companies and the Belgian Association of Marketing. Our task is to make customer data more readily accessible for our clients and to keep the information up-to-date. We do this for different companies but we never disclose your information to another client unless you consent. In this way, you know for certain that your data will never end up with a company that you are not a customer of.
We store the information digitally, on our own servers and in the Cloud. This means that the information is stored in a secure Internet environment or on external servers; in Belgium or in the European Economic Area.
BBDO’s specialists and partners ensure optimal security and permanent control. After all, personal information must never be disclosed.
What are your rights as a consumer?
Your client information is primarily yours. The law therefore gives you the right to access it, correct it and to have it erased from the database. You can also tell us that companies must no longer use your data for personal communication (direct marketing). In short, these are your rights:
You have the right to know whether a company holds your personal information, how it obtained it, what information it has and what it is being used for. If a company shares your data with other companies, you have the right to know which ones. Furthermore, your data can only be shared if you have given your consent.
Your data in the databases may no longer be correct. You may want certain information no longer to be stored. That is why you have the right to access, supplement or rectify information, or ask that it be deleted from the file.
When your data ended up in a file, you gave consent for it to be used for advertising purposes. For example, for direct mail or for emails. You can always withdraw that consent. You will then no longer receive information or benefits, such as discounts or competition entries.
How can you exercise your rights as a consumer?
Get in direct contact with the advertiser whose database contains your data. Or send an email to BBDO-dpo@bbdo.be if you think that a company has arranged for us to process your data. We will forward your request to the company concerned. If an advertiser is not—or is no longer—a BBDO client, we will not be able to help you but will of course immediately inform you of this.
This service is always free. You will receive the requested information and can indicate the changes you wish to make. Important: naturally, you will need to be able to identify yourself, in order for the company to verify that the information really is yours. That is why you always need to include a copy of your identity card.
Useful websites
BBDO wants to offer you the best experience when you are looking for information and inspiration on our website. Below you can find which measures we apply for that purpose.
Cookie Policy
In our Cookie Policy you can find out more about the cookies that BBDO uses and how they enable us to adjust the website as best as possible to your user requirements. You will also find information there about how you can set your cookies.
Privacy Policy
In our Privacy Policy you can find all the details about what personal data we retain, what we use it for and why we process it.
Privacy Policy for job applications
Our privacy policy for job applications explains what personal information we process as part of our recruitment procedure if you apply for a job at BBDO.
Privacy Policy for employees
We have a separate privacy policy for the workplace, applicable to our current and former employees. This is only accessible through the BBDO intranet.