Consent, profiling and disruptive technologies

04 May 2017

DWF, London

Overview

Through our enews alerts we recently informed you that the ICO fined Flybe, the airline, and Honda Motors £70,000 and £13,000 respectively for breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).*

The ICO stated that both well-known companies failed to respect individuals' opt-outs from future marketing and referred to its marketing guidance. Both companies had stepped over the ICO's line in interpreting the ICO's rules on updating marketing preferences and entering prize draws as an incentive.

 

Where is the ICO's line in terms of your company's marketing activities?

We will find out by listening to and discussing the issues with the Information Commissioner's Business and Industry Group Manager, Garreth Cameron, who leads the ICO's work in this area.

By attending PL&B's GDPR and Retailing Conference on 4 May in London hosted by law firm, DWF, you will get answers to your questions on how to get your marketing right and avoid consumer complaints which lead to ICO investigations and fines.

Getting it right can lead to engaging with customers and achieving a win-win value added relationship via upselling, cross-selling, higher lifetime value per customer, and a competitive advantage.

Getting it wrong can lead to customers feeling that they are being exploited via promotions which some people may consider “creepy†involving excessive use of their personal data causing falling sales and customer alienation from your brand among some market segments.

How do you achieve a consensual balance that makes sense commercially now, and accords with the EU Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the future? With just over a year until the EU Data Protection Regulation enters into force in the European Economic Area, which will include the UK in May next year, now is the time to move from broad advice to specific steps.

This one day conference will provide you with:

  • legal advice from leading specialist lawyers from DWF and Privacy Laws & Business ontheimplications of tracking and profiling customers cross-device and online/offline,and otherdata protection law challenges

  • the way to prepare for explicit consent by testing wording for each channel and winning betterresponse rate

  • lessons from Matthew Gaunt, the Marketing Director of Wickes, with more than 200 storesinthe UK, on howthecompany manages its relationship with its customers in both the physicaland digital worlds

  • a glimpse into your future opportunities from smart, secure and personalised payment systemsand services, from Andreas Klug, Global Head of Privacy, Worldpay

  • insights into disruptive technologies in the retail sector, and some of the benefits and challenges they pose for responsible retailers, and

  • advice on when to litigate when faced with data protection related problems, from the leadingspecialist barrister in this field, Timothy Pitt-Payne QC, 11KBW.


For one session in the afternoon, the conference will split into groups so that everyone can share experience with their peers. You can discuss how you are preparing for the GDPR by concentrating on the issues of most concern to you.

This event qualifies for 7 SRA CPD hours.