About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Opinion

Lottie’s take on stop, my inbox is full!

I can’t have been alone in thinking that once GDPR deadline came around my inbox would be significantly less cluttered. The volume of opt-in emails I received (and ignored) led me to believe I’d see a drop-off after 25th May, yet a couple of months on, the state of my inbox is almost as appalling as it was pre-GDPR. But on what basis have these companies decided to continue holding my personal data and sending me their marketing emails?

According to the ICO, there are six lawful bases for processing an individual’s personal data. These are consent, as part of a contract, as part of a legal obligation, in ‘vital interest’ (to protect someone’s life), to perform a task in the public interest or for official functions, and finally, legitimate interest.

In the build-up to GDPR, it seemed that the majority of marketers were gaining consent using the double opt-in email method as a safe blanket cover. Yet, scrolling through my crowded inbox now I can only assume that the majority have continued to contact me on the base of legitimate interest, including that high street fashion retailer I bought a pair of jeans from once about five years ago. But what is it and in what circumstances does it apply?

Whilst the ICO states that no one lawful base is more superior than another, legitimate interest appears to be a little more flexible and does not require the individual to agree. Currently the ICO has offered no definitive guidelines to be taken into account when deciding whether your purpose falls under legitimate interest, but it has offered some examples, which include:

  • When the processing is not required by law but is of a clear benefit to you or others
  • When there’s a limited privacy impact on the individual
  • When the individual should reasonably expect you to use their data in that way
  • When you cannot, or do not want to, give the individual full consent requests when they’re unlikely to object to the processing

Whilst it appears that legitimate interest can be applied fairly broadly, businesses and organisations do need a clear and specific outcome or benefit in mind for their processing operation, such as a legitimate interest in marketing goods to existing customers to increase sales.

It’s likely that what constitutes legitimate interest will become clearer over time as cases are investigated and outcomes decided. Until then, the ICO recommends that companies apply the three-part test to ensure their legitimate interest is…well, legitimate.

About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Opinion

Sustainability – how our team is crushing plastic and saving the planet

B2B thought leadership PR – everything you need to know

Browse more blog posts

Posted on
byClaire James
In B2B PR, thought leadership is one of those concepts that gets spoken about all the time. But do you actually know what thought leadership is? And do you have the right tools and skills in place to make it work effectively for you? In this post we aim to clarify what B2B thought leadership can do and help you gain greater benefit from it.
Posted on
byRob Skinner
In B2B PR, thought leadership is one of those concepts that gets spoken about all the time. But do you actually know what thought leadership is? And do you have the right tools and skills in place to make it work effectively for you? In this post we aim to clarify what B2B thought leadership can do and help you gain greater benefit from it.
Posted on
bySkout team
If you haven’t heard by now, Skout is under new ownership! No, we haven’t been bought out – in fact it’s quite the opposite. As of last week, Skout officially became an employee-owned business. This was achieved by the founding shareholders, Rob and Claire, signing 100% ownership over to a newly established Employee Ownership Trust acting on behalf of the...
Posted on
byClaire Lamb
A few weeks ago, the entire Skout team visited the beautiful and historic city of Palma, Majorca for our annual kick off event. It’s been a long time in the planning (pre-pandemic to be precise) and the first time we’ve been abroad for a kick off to the new financial year. We’ve always found kick off meetings a great way...
Posted on
byHonor Williamson
TikTok is increasingly being used as a platform for B2B companies to implement their marketing strategy, aiding in brand exposure, lead generation and profile building. But, where does paid TikTok advertising come into play? Is it an effective tool to engage with B2B audiences, or is the ROI just not worth it?  If you’re the least bit social media savvy,...
Posted on
byClaire James
In May I was fortunate to be able to attend the recent UK Construction Week at Excel in London and see the strides forward an industry, that has become recognised as one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions, is making in tackling the thorny issue of achieving Net Zero. In his keynote on day one, Lord Callanan, Under Secretary...
Posted on
byJames Weaver
In the world of B2B marketing, it is essential that you have a solid B2B marketing strategy in place to effectively connect with your target audience.
Posted on
byHonor Williamson
Why was PR your chosen career?  PR is all about storytelling, with so much opportunity for creativity and content creation. Since I’ve always loved writing and always had a big imagination, I thought that PR would be the ideal career to channel my creativity. I’m all about communication, and PR really allows you to foster meaningful relationships. I’m already learning...
Posted on
byJack Doyle
As a smaller business, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to sustainability. Sure, we all do our best to use the right recycling bin at home, and bring our re-usable coffee cups to work. But with serious pressures now mounting from the government – which pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 –...
Posted on
byLee Simpson
Another week, another round of mass layoffs in the tech sector. With Amazon (AWS) and Meta cutting thousands of jobs, and further layoffs at Salesforce and of course Twitter, it has felt a bit like the tech world has been imploding of late. This is of course concerning for us working in B2B tech PR, but more importantly for the...

Send us a message

Download The B2B business relationship report

The B2B relationship renaissance – did digital kill it? The importance of relationships throughout the customer buying journey. Please complete the form below and receive a download link via email.