Privacy policy

(last update, 31 March 2023)

This notice outlines how and why EssenceMediacom collects and uses personal data specifically from visits to the EssenceMediacom websites: www.essencemediacom.com

This notice also explains your rights and how to exercise these rights.

Who are we?

EssenceMediacom Holdings Limited (“EssenceMediacom” “we”), is a global media investment company which is a part of the wider GroupM media network.

EssenceMediacom is the operator of the Website and the legal entity responsible for the data collected from you via the Website in the UK.

In addition, the following UK companies will also use data collected from you via this Website: Essence Global Limited (trading as EssenceMediacomX), EssenceMediacom North Limited and EssenceMediacom Scotland Limited.

The Website also has country-level sites managed by other companies within the EssenceMediacom group and who are responsible for the data collected from you via their relevant micro site.

We respect the privacy of users of our website and recognise that when you choose to provide us with information about yourself, you trust us to act in a responsible manner with that information. This Privacy Notice contains important information about how we use your personal data, it is important that you read this Privacy Notice together with any other privacy notice or fair processing notice we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you to ensure you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. This Privacy Notice supplements the other notices and is not intended to override them. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, you should not access or use the Websites. By accessing or using the Websites, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you have questions, you can always contact us below.

What do we collect, how is it collected/from what source and for what purpose?

Except as otherwise expressly set forth herein, we will not collect additional categories of personal data or use the personal data we collect for materially different, unrelated, or incompatible purposes without providing you notice.

Cookie data:

We collect information that enables us to identify your browser and device and tell us which pages within our Website you visit and on which pages you spend the most time. We do this by using the following:

Cookie: is a small alphanumeric text file that we automatically assign to visitors to our website. It is stored in your browser and allows us to identify your interaction with us. Sometimes a cookie resides on your device for just the single time you’re visiting our Website; this is called a session cookie. Sometimes a cookie remains on your device until you delete it or it expires automatically; this is called a persistent cookie. Both types of cookies are used on our Websites.

IP address: means Internet protocol address

Pixel: is a line of code that sits within our webpages and which we use to record that you have visited a particular page within our Websites.

You can prevent use of cookies through your browser settings. By choosing not to accept cookies, certain Website features may not work as some or all of this information is used to improve your website experience by delivering content that you are likely to prefer on future visits.

Specific Cookie Types used by MediaCom

Third Parties

We may pass your data to our group companies so that they may contact you for the purposes set out in this Privacy Notice.

We may pass your data to our data processors (also known as third parties) who are performing services on our behalf to enable the uses of your information that we have described above. We have contracts in place with those companies. These vendors are not permitted to use this information for any other purpose.

We will share your data if we believe we’re legally obliged to, or in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding prohibited activities, such as incidents of hacking, misuse, suspected fraud, or other prohibited activities.

In the event that another company acquires us, or all or substantially all of the assets of our business, through a consolidation, merger, asset purchase, or other transaction, we reserve the right to transfer all data (including any information you may have provided through the “contact us” page) that is in our possession or under our control to the acquiring party, and that information may be used by the acquiring party in its business.

Transfers outside of the European Economic Area

If you provide us with personal data, we may transfer that personal data to and from your country or jurisdiction to other countries or jurisdictions around the world to enable us to use that personal data as described above. Our standard practice is to use European Union model clauses for the transfer of data from the EEA & Switzerland to other non-EEA countries.

Your Rights

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data (some of these rights apply only in certain circumstances, and some of them vary according to the legal basis on which we are processing your data):

• The right to ask whether we’re processing your personal data and, if we are, to find out details of that processing (as well as obtaining a copy of your personal data) (including, the categories of sources from which the personal information is collected, our business purpose for collecting that personal information and the categories of third parties with whom we share that personal information)

The right to ask us to correct any personal data that we hold about you that’s inaccurate or incomplete.

The right to ask us to delete personal data that we hold about you.

The right to object to how we’re processing your personal data, and to ask us to restrict how we’re processing your personal data.

The right to have the personal data that you’ve provided to us provided to you in a structured and commonly-used electronic format. You can also ask us to transfer your personal data directly to another company if that’s feasible.

If at any time you would like to exercise these rights, you can contact us using the details provided at the bottom of this Privacy Notice under the “Contact” section You should include your full name, e-mail address, and clear instructions regarding changes you are requesting in sufficient detail that allows us to properly understand, evaluate, and respond to your request. In addition, we ask that you please provide sufficient information to enable us to reasonably verify that you are the person (or an authorized representative of the person) regarding whom we collected the personal information. In order to protect the security of your personal information, we will not honor a request if we cannot verify your identity (or, in the case of an authorized representative, authority to make the request) and confirm that the personal information relates to you. With respect to any requests to delete your data, once we receive and verify your request, we will delete (and direct our service providers to delete) your personal information from our records, unless an exception under applicable law applies. However, we may retain personal information that has been de-identified or aggregated.

If we cannot comply (in whole or in part) with a request, the response we provide will also explain the reasons we cannot comply.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights.

You may also unsubscribe at any time from e-mail newsletters only by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link found at the bottom of the e-mail containing the newsletter.

California

Pursuant to Section 1798.83 of the California Civil Code, residents of California can obtain certain information about the types of personally identifiable information that companies with whom they have an established business relationship have shared with third parties for direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year. To request a list of companies, if any, to which EssenceMediacom has provided your personally identifiable information for its own marketing purposes, please email us at [email protected]. We will confirm receipt within 10 days and provide information as to how the request will be processed (including the consumer verification process and when the consumer should expect a response). We will provide a further response to the requested action within 45 days.

Use of the Website by children and children’s data

We do not provide services directly to children. The Website is not developed for or directed at children under age 13. We specifically request that children do not provide information about themselves through our Website. If you believe your child has provided this kind of information and would like it deleted, you can contact us at [email protected]. If we become aware we’ve collected information about a child under the age of 13, we’ll delete it.

Data retention and storage

We will keep your data for a reasonable period for the purposes set out above. We follow generally accepted online advertising industry standards to ensure that your personal data disclosed to us is kept secure, accurate and up to date and kept only for so long as is necessary for the purposes for which it is used. These standards include undertaking necessary physical, electronic, and management activities required to protect data integrity, access, and use.

Information Security

Maintaining the privacy of our users’ information is very important to us which means we take care and pay special attention to our security measures to protect this information from data breaches. We follow industry standards to protect against the unauthorized access to, retention of, and disclosure of information. This includes physical, electronic, and management activities to protect information integrity, access, and use.

Linking to other websites/third party sites

A link from our Website to another website does not imply our endorsement of affiliates or websites, and we do not control third party websites to which we link, nor assume responsibility for their content or privacy policies. Once you follow a link to another website, the EssenceMediacom Privacy Notice no longer applies. It’s important to always read the privacy policy of any website you are visiting.

Changes to this Privacy Notice

Please note that because of the changing nature of privacy laws and regulations, digital technologies, and our business, we may modify this Privacy Notice from time to time. Please review this Privacy Notice periodically to become aware of any changes that may have occurred (we will update the effective date at the top of the page to help you know when changes have been made).

If you have any Complaints or wish to contact us:

Please use the details set out below depending on where you are located and we will do our best to address any complaints or worries you may have about how we collect and handle your Personal Data.

If for whatever reason you don’t feel like we have adequately addressed your concerns you can contact the Data Protection Authority in your jurisdiction and make a formal complaint.

EssenceMediacom Holdings Limited

[email protected]

EssenceMediacom Holdings Limited, 124 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8RX – Attn: EssenceMediacom Legal Department

Real world insights privacy notice

This form will be sent to all existing Real World Britain participants to gain their consent. It will also be available for participants to review at any point on the website

Thank you for joining the Real Word Britain community, run by EssenceMediacom

This privacy policy sets out how EssenceMediacom Holdings Limited (“EssenceMediacom” (“we”, “us” or “our”) collects and uses and protects any information that you give when you use this website.

EssenceMediacom is the data controller and is responsible for your personal data.

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who is responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this privacy policy. If you have any questions about this privacy policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact our DPO at [email protected].

Real World Britain is an online research community run by EssenceMediacom, a media planning and communications agency. The purpose of the Real World Britain community is to conduct research for EssenceMediacom clients and internal stakeholders to ensure that the views and opinions of consumers are considered.

EssenceMediacom is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Our research is conducted in accordance with the MRS Code of Conduct and in line with GDPR regulations.

Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 24/05/2018.

What information do we hold?

We may collect the following information:

• Name and job title

Contact information including email address

Demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests

Other information relevant to client services or respondent surveys.

We hold the following personal data in a password-protected file and stored within our Real World Britain website:

Your name.

Your email address & (in some cases) phone number.

Demographic information: age, region you live in.

All photos, videos and text you share with us voluntarily on the website.

In certain cases we also hold the following special categories of personal data in a password-protected file and stored within our Real World Britain website:

Your ethnicity.

Your sexual orientation.

Religious beliefs.

Political views.

We are provided with this information either directly by you or via recruitment agencies which you have permitted to provide us with this information.

What we do with the information we gather;

We have listed below the ways in which we use your personal data. We are also required by law to explain the legal basis for using your personal data, and this is also set out below. The legal basis in each case is that we have your consent for the use of your personal data, or that we need to use your personal data in order to perform a contract with you, or that the use of your personal data is necessary for our legitimate interests (in which case we will explain what those interests are). Where we use your personal data with your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. We use this information with your consent for the following reasons:

• To feedback your views and opinions to internal stakeholders and clients (text, photos, and videos you upload onto the website).

To contact you regarding upcoming research studies and provide information which you may find interesting (this will be sent to your email address only).

To contact you regarding a specific research study which you have previously agreed to participate in (we may occasionally contact you via phone in this instance).

To ensure that content from our site is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer (this is based on our legitimate interest in ensuring that our site is presented to you in the most effective way possible).

To carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between you and us (this is based on contractual necessity – we need to use your personal data to perform our contract with you).

To allow you to participate in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so.

To notify you about changes to our service (this is based on our legitimate interest in keeping you informed about changes to our service).

Additional examples of data and the purpose for its collection is set out in the table below.

Controlling your personal information;

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

• You have the right to request all data we currently hold on you i.e. all your responses on the Real World Britain community

You have the right to request that all your data is deleted from the platform and withdraw your consent for this data to be used for market research purposes

If at any point you decide to dis-continue on the platform, all your responses will be anonymised under a pseudonym. This means we will not be able to trace any comments / responses back to you.

Your rights

You have the right to ask us not to process your personal data for marketing purposes. We will usually inform you (before collecting your data) if we intend to use your data for such purposes or if we intend to disclose your information to any third party for such purposes. You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the forms we use to collect your data. You can also exercise the right at any time by contacting us at [email protected].

You also have the following rights in relation to your personal data (some of these rights apply only in certain circumstances, and some of them vary according to the legal basis on which we are processing your data – please see above for further details):

The right to ask whether we’re processing your personal data and, if we are, to find out details of that processing (as well as obtaining a copy of your personal data).

The right to ask us to correct any personal data that we hold about you that’s inaccurate or incomplete.

The right to ask us to delete personal data that we hold about you.
The right to object to how we’re processing your personal data, and to ask us to restrict how we’re processing your personal data.

The right to have the personal data that you’ve provided to us provided to you in a structured and commonly-used electronic format. You can also ask us to transfer your personal data directly to another company if that’s feasible.

If you are not happy with how we have dealt with your personal data, we would like a chance to put it right – please contact us at [email protected]. However, if for whatever reason you do not feel like we have adequately addressed your concerns you can contact the Data Protection Authority in your jurisdiction and make a formal complaint.

Keeping your personal data secure

We will take reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy. All information you provide to us is stored on our secure server and is password protected. We limit access to the information by our own employees, contractors, site service providers and those individuals who are authorised for the proper handling of such information. We request that our third-party contractors and site service providers follow similar standards of security and confidentiality.

We adhere to the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will take reasonable steps to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our site; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

Your consent

Please use tick the box below to give your consent and continue as a member of the Real World Britain online community.

• I agree to participate in Real World Britain based on the information above

I do not agree to participate in Real World Britain based on the information above

Complaints

Please use the details set out below depending on where you are located and we will do our best to address any complaints or worries you may have about how we collect and handle your Personal Data.

If for whatever reason you don’t feel like we have adequately addressed your concerns you can contact the Data Protection Authority in your jurisdiction and make a formal complaint.
[email protected]

EssenceMediacom Holdings Limited, 124 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8RX – Attn: EssenceMediacom Legal Department

Privacy Notice for Events

EssenceMediacom runs various events, seminars and conferences from time to time to update, educate, and provoke discussion amongst its clients, potential clients and industry bodies (“Events”). This privacy notice provides you with information about how EssenceMediacom uses your personal data when you register for and attend an Event run by EssenceMediacom.

How does this privacy notice relate to other privacy notices?

This privacy notice explains how we use your personal data in relation to your interest in, or attendance at, an Event run by EssenceMediacom. It supplements our Privacy Notice on our website, available here.

Registering for an Event

If you wish to attend one of our Events, please RSVP by responding to us using the contact details provided on the Event invite.

What personal data will be processed?

If you register with an Event App and consent to share your information with us, EssenceMediacom will receive the following information:

• your first and last name, email, avatar image, and any company information you’ve chosen to include in your Event App profile.

• the points of interest (speakers, vendors, etc.) you’ve added to your to-do list.

• your general usage metrics (time in the guide, how many times you opened the guide, etc.)

If you choose not to share your information but sign in to an Event App account when accessing the guide, EssenceMediacom will see your first and last name, email, avatar image, and any company information you’ve chosen to include in your Event App profile. Usage details will not be shared with EssenceMediacom.

If you register for an Event with EssenceMediacom directly, the information you provide us will include:

• your title, name, and full postal, email address and or telephone number;

• your job title and role;

• any dietary requirements; and

• access needs.

EssenceMediacom may photograph and film the Event which will be used to market our services and to promote future events. EssenceMediacom will therefore process your image. You will be notified if we intend to photograph/film an Event, for example, in the invitation and on signs at the entrance to the Event. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed at an Event, please contact us. Where possible, we will provide photo- and film-free zones for those who do not want their picture taken can sit.

Records of communications sent to you by EssenceMediacom or that we receive from you in relation to an Event you will attend/have attended.

What is the purpose of processing?

EssenceMediacom will process your personal data for the following purposes:

• To reserve a place for you at the event(s) you requested to attend;

• To provide you with information about the event(s) for which you have registered, such as event updates, and possible changes, cancellation or similar information;

• For general administration and organisation of our events, for example to contact you with information about an event or conference that you’re exhibiting at or attending, as we need to use your details for planning and logistics, to invoice you, to provide you customer service in relation to the event, and general administration of your attendance at the event.

• To fulfil and monitor our legal responsibilities, for example, under public safety legislation;

• In accordance with your preferences, to communicate with you about other events, news, and services we provide (for example online webinars, Huddle events);

• To ask you for your feedback or review after an Event you have attended;

• To pass on your contact details to our logistics partners to enhance your experience at an Event you have signed up to exhibit or sponsor at;

• To assess the activity of our attendees at our Events including time of arrival and departure.

• To create a delegate list (which will include your name and company (not email or telephone number), which will be shared with an Exhibitor or Sponsor at the Event.

• To film and photograph the Event which will be used to market our services and to promote future events on our website, social media channels, and in marketing materials. You will be notified if we intend to photograph/film an Event, for example, in the invitation and on signs at the entrance to the Event.

• To improve our services, marketing, customer relationships, and experiences; and

• To plan better future events and attendee experience.

What is the legal basis of the processing?

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

• To perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.

• For our legitimate interests (for example, in order to manage and develop our business, study how customers use our products/services, to develop them, grow our business, and inform our marketing strategy).

• Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.

Generally, we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data, although we will get your consent before sending third party direct marketing communications to you via email or text message. You have the right to withdraw consent to marketing at any time by contacting us.

To the extent that you may provide us with personal data about yourself that is sensitive, for example relating to any disability, allergies, or other dietary requirements that you have, we will process this information with your explicit consent, or if it is necessary:

• For the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims;

• Very occasionally, when it is needed to protect your or another person’s vital interests and you are not capable of giving your consent (for example, in an emergency).

Who will your personal data be shared with?

Within EssenceMediacom, your personal data is shared only with those departments and staff who need access for the processing purposes set out above.

We may share some of the information with external organisations providing services for the Event you are attending, in particular we may share your information (including dietary requirements) with catering services if you are attending an Event where catering is offered. The information shared will only be used to provide the service required and will not be retained by these external organisations after the Event is concluded.

How long is your personal data kept?

We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements. We may retain your personal data for a longer period in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you.

Please refer to our Privacy Notice for further information.

If you consent to stay in touch with us, or subscribe to our newsletter, essential information to communicate with you will be kept until you withdraw your consent or unsubscribe to specific communication as explained in our Privacy Notice.

Third Party Apps

EssenceMediacom works with third party event app providers, such as EVENT BRITE (“Event App”), allowing you to view details of the Event, download guides, book sessions, browse maps, schedules and more for our Events. Please note that third-party apps or services are not owned or managed by EssenceMediacom. Please refer to the relevant App’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy before downloading the app or using the Service. EssenceMediacom does not accept any responsibility or liability for third party policies or your use of a third-party app or service.

Your rights in relation to your data

Details about your rights are set out in our Privacy Notice under the heading ‘Data Subject Rights of individuals in the EEA and Switzerland’.

Our Privacy Notice also explains how to ask any questions you may have about how your personal data is used, exercise any of your rights or complain about the way your data is being handled.

Contact

Questions, comments, and requests regarding this privacy notice are welcomed and should be addressed to our DPO at [email protected] or in writing to EssenceMediacom Holdings Limited, 124 Theobalds Road WC1X 8RX – Attn: Legal Director.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does EssenceMediacom share any information with other vendors or partners? We may provide access to information we collect to our vendors and contractors (also known as third parties) who are performing services on our behalf to enable the uses of your information that we have described above. These vendors are not permitted to use this information for any other purpose. As noted above the Website uses social media widgets including, but not limited to, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn so users can easily share information about their visits with “likes” or “shares.” Always review the privacy policy of social media sites as their data collection practices are separate from EssenceMediacom practices. Additionally, we must disclose information when we believe we’re legally obliged to, or in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding prohibited activities, such as incidents of hacking, misuse, or other prohibited activities.

Does EssenceMediacom transfer your Personal Data outside the European Union? If you provide us with personal data, we may transfer that personal data to our affiliates and subsidiaries or to other third parties, across borders, and from your country or jurisdiction to other countries or jurisdictions around the world to enable us to use that personal data as described above. Our standard practice is to use European Union model clauses for the transfer of data from the EEA & Switzerland to other non-EEA countries.

Use of this site by Children & Children’s data: We’re sensitive to children’s privacy. Our Website is not developed for or directed at children under age 13. We specifically request that children not provide information about themselves through our Website. If you believe your child has provided this kind of information and would like it deleted from our database, you can contact us at [email protected] . If we become aware we’ve collected information about a child under the age of 13, we’ll delete it.

Data retention and storage: We will keep your information that we collect on the Website for a reasonable period for the purposes set out above. We follow generally accepted online advertising industry standards to ensure that your personal data disclosed to us is kept secure, accurate and up to date and kept only for so long as is necessary for the purposes for which it is used. These standards include undertaking necessary physical, electronic, and management activities required to protect data integrity, access, and use.

Information Security: Maintaining the privacy of our users’ information is very important to us which means we take care and pay special attention to our security measures to protect this information from data breaches. We follow industry standards to protect against the unauthorized access to, retention of, and disclosure of information. This includes physical, electronic, and management activities to protect information integrity, access, and use.

Linking to other websites/Third party sites: A link from our Website to another website does not imply our endorsement of affiliates or websites, and we do not control third party websites to which we link, nor assume responsibility for their content or privacy policies. Once you follow a link to another website, the EssenceMediacom Privacy Notice no longer applies. It’s important to always read the privacy policy of any website you are visiting.

Transfer of data upon change of control: In the event that another company acquires us, or all or substantially all of the assets of our business, through a consolidation, merger, asset purchase, or other transaction, we reserve the right to transfer all information (including any information you may have provided through the “contact us” page) that is in our possession or under our control to the acquiring party, and that information may be used by the acquiring party in its business.

Data Subject Rights of individuals in the EEA and Switzerland: You have the right to access, update, change, delete, restrict the use of, or obtain a copy of your Personal Data in an easily readable format. In certain circumstances, you may also request that EssenceMediacom transfer your Personal Data to a third party, and the right to object to its use for marketing purposes. If you wish to exercise any of these rights please contact our DPO at [email protected].

Where our processing of your personal data is based on your consent, you also have the right to withdraw this consent at any time by contacting our DPO at [email protected]. Please note that your withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of our processing of your personal data prior to withdrawal of consent.