Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains how VCM Ltd collects, uses and protects personal information when you visit our website or get in touch with us.

Who we are

VCM Ltd ('VCM', 'we', 'us', 'our') is a media planning and buying agency registered in England and Wales.

• Company name: VCM Ltd
• Registered office: Santa Maria, Wilsons Way, Meopham, Kent DA13 0DW
• Company registration number: 9216658
• ICO registration number: ZB364596
• Email: james@vcmweb.co.uk
• Phone: 0333 577 1848

What information we collect

We collect personal information in the following situations:

When you contact us via the website form

If you fill in the contact form, we collect:

• Your name
• Your company name
• Your phone number (if you provide it)
• Your email address
• The nature of your enquiry (from the dropdown)
• The content of your message

When you email or call us directly

Any information you choose to share when you contact us by email at james@vcmweb.co.uk or by phone on 0333 577 1848.

When you visit our website

Like most websites, we collect limited technical information automatically:

• Your IP address (anonymised in Google Analytics)
• Browser type and version
• Pages you visit and how long you spend on them
• Referring website (if any)

This information is collected via Google Analytics 4 and is used in aggregate form to understand how visitors use the site. It does not personally identify you. See our Cookie Policy for more on cookies.

Why we collect it (lawful basis)

We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR:

• Legitimate interests — for analytics, security, and to respond to enquiries you initiate. We’ve assessed that this is balanced fairly against your rights.
• Consent — for non-essential cookies (analytics, marketing). You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Contract — where we’ve started a commercial discussion or have a client relationship, processing is necessary to provide our services.

How we use it

We use personal information only for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry
• To provide media planning and buying services to clients who engage us
• To send occasional marketing emails (only with your explicit consent — you can unsubscribe at any time)
• To comply with our legal obligations
• To improve our website and services

Who we share it with

We do not sell personal data. We share information only with the following parties, where necessary:

• Our hosting provider — Unlimited Web Hosting UK LTD — which stores the website data
• Google Analytics 4 — for anonymised website analytics
• Our digital marketing partner Refine — only where we are providing digital advertising services to you, and only with appropriate data-sharing agreements in place
• Our IT and email service providers, as data processors
• Law enforcement or regulators where legally required

We never share your information with media owners, publishers or any third parties for marketing purposes without your explicit consent.

How long we keep it

We hold personal information only as long as necessary:

• Enquiries that don’t lead to a relationship: deleted after 12 months
• Active client relationships: held for the duration of the relationship and 7 years thereafter (UK accounting and tax requirements)
• Marketing email subscribers: until you unsubscribe, then deleted within 30 days
• Website analytics: anonymised and held by Google according to its retention settings (we set this to the minimum)

Where it’s stored

Personal data is stored within the UK and European Economic Area (EEA) where possible. Some service providers (such as Google Analytics) may transfer data to the United States. Where this happens, we rely on the relevant safeguards under UK GDPR (such as Standard Contractual Clauses or the UK-US Data Bridge).

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification — request that we correct inaccurate data
• Erasure — request that we delete your data (subject to legal retention obligations)
• Restriction — request that we limit how we use your data
• Portability — request your data in a portable format
• Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent — at any time, where we rely on consent

To exercise any of these rights, email james@vcmweb.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

Complaints

If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your data, please contact us first at james@vcmweb.co.uk. If you remain unsatisfied, you have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling their helpline on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last reviewed.