Privacy Policy

2. What data we collect

We only collect personal data that you provide to us or that is necessary for the operation of our website and services:

• Contact details you submit through forms (name, email, phone, company name, message)
• Data needed for proposals, invoicing and delivering our services
• Technical data via cookies and analytics (see section 5) — only with your consent
• IP address and browser data, anonymized, for security and spam prevention

3. How we use your data

• Responding to your questions and following up on contact requests
• Preparing proposals and delivering agreed services
• Invoicing and legal administrative obligations
• Improving our website and services based on anonymized statistics
• Sending service-related communication (no marketing without your explicit consent)

4. Legal basis

We process your data based on: (a) your consent for cookies and marketing, (b) the performance of a contract for clients, (c) our legitimate interest for security and quality control, and (d) legal obligations for administration and accounting.

5. Cookies and analytics

On your first visit our cookie banner (ConsentEase) asks for your consent. Statistical and marketing cookies are only placed after you accept. Functional cookies (session, language preference) are always loaded because they are necessary for the site to function.

We use Google Analytics 4 with IP anonymization and consent mode v2. No personally identifiable data is passed on. You can change your preferences at any time via the cookie icon at the bottom left of our website.

6. Who we share data with

We never sell your data. We share it only with processors that help us deliver our services, and only as far as necessary:

• Hosting and email providers (within the EU where possible)
• Google Workspace, Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads — for analytics and campaign management of client accounts
• Accounting and invoicing software for legal administration
• Legally competent authorities when required by law

7. How long we retain data

Contact requests are kept for a maximum of 24 months, unless they lead to a client relationship. Client data is retained for the duration of the engagement, plus 7 years thereafter for legal tax obligations. Anonymized analytics data is retained for 14 months.

8. Your rights under the GDPR

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) you have the following rights:

• Right to access the data we hold about you
• Right to rectification of incorrect or incomplete data
• Right to erasure ('right to be forgotten')
• Right to restriction of processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to withdraw your consent at any time

Send an email to axel@saerensadvertising.com to exercise any of these rights. We respond within 30 days.

9. Security

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data against loss, misuse and unauthorized access. This includes encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), regular backups, restricted access on a need-to-know basis and up-to-date software components.

10. Complaints

Do you have a complaint about how we process your data? Please contact us first so we can resolve it. If that doesn't work, you have the right to file a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority (GBA): gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit.be

11. Changes

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services or in legislation. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated.