Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 2026

Who we are

This Privacy Policy explains how 21st Century Marketing collects, uses, stores and protects your personal data. We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Contents

  1. Who We Are
  2. Information We Collect
  3. How We Use Your Information
  4. Legal Basis for Processing
  5. Sharing Your Information
  6. Cookies
  7. Data Retention
  8. Your Rights
  9. Data Security
  10. Third-Party Links
  11. Changes to This Policy
  12. Contact and Complaints

1. Who We Are

21st Century Marketing is a trading brand of Universal Data Group Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (Company Registration Number: 13024412), having its registered office at 75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ. ICO Registration Number: ZB561337. VAT Number: 384107401.

Throughout this Privacy Policy, references to “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Universal Data Group Ltd trading as 21st Century Marketing. We are a digital marketing agency operating in the United Kingdom providing services including Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), AI SEO, social media management, lead generation, web design, AI automation, short form video production and virtual services.

For the purposes of data protection law, Universal Data Group Ltd is the data controller responsible for personal data collected through this website and in connection with our services.

Contact: hello@21stcenturymarketing.co.uk

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including when you:

  • Complete a contact or enquiry form on our website
  • Book a strategy call or consultation
  • Request a proposal or audit
  • Correspond with us by email, phone or social media
  • Sign up to receive communications from us
  • Engage us to provide services

This information may include your name, email address, phone number, company name, job title and any other information you choose to share with us.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information including:

  • Your IP address and approximate location
  • Browser type and version
  • Pages visited and time spent on the site
  • Referring website or search query
  • Device type and operating system

This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies as described in Section 6 below.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To respond to your enquiries and provide the services you have requested
  • To send you proposals, quotes and service agreements
  • To manage our client relationships and deliver ongoing services
  • To send you marketing communications where you have given consent or we have a legitimate interest
  • To improve our website, services and user experience
  • To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations
  • To detect and prevent fraud or misuse of our services

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

  • Contract: Where processing is necessary to fulfil a contract with you or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract
  • Legitimate interests: Where we have a legitimate business interest in processing your data that is not overridden by your rights, such as improving our services or responding to business enquiries
  • Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your data for a specific purpose, such as receiving marketing emails
  • Legal obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information with:

  • Service providers and technology partners who help us deliver our services (for example, CRM platforms, email systems, analytics tools), who are bound by data processing agreements
  • Professional advisers such as accountants or solicitors where necessary
  • Law enforcement or regulatory authorities where required by law
  • Any successor entity in the event of a business transfer or acquisition, subject to appropriate data protection measures

Any third parties with whom we share data are required to handle it in accordance with applicable data protection law and our instructions.

6. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and help us understand how visitors use our site. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

Types of cookies we use

  • Essential cookies: Required for the website to function correctly
  • Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our site (for example, Google Analytics)
  • Marketing cookies: Used to track visitors across websites to display relevant advertising

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Specifically:

  • Client records are retained for a minimum of six years after the end of the engagement in accordance with legal requirements
  • Enquiry and contact data where no engagement follows is typically retained for up to 24 months
  • Marketing consent records are retained for as long as you remain an active contact
  • Website analytics data is subject to the retention policies of the relevant analytics provider

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right to Access

Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

Right to Rectification

Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data we hold about you.

Right to Erasure

Request deletion of your personal data where there is no legitimate reason for us to continue processing it.

Right to Restrict Processing

Request that we limit the way we use your data in certain circumstances.

Right to Data Portability

Receive your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format.

Right to Object

Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.

Withdraw Consent

Where processing is based on consent, withdraw that consent at any time.

Right to Complain

Lodge a complaint with the ICO if you believe your rights have been infringed.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@21stcenturymarketing.co.uk. We will respond within one calendar month of receiving your request.

9. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or alteration. These measures include:

  • Secure encrypted connections (HTTPS) on our website
  • Access controls and authentication on systems that hold personal data
  • Regular review of our security practices and third-party data processors

While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in accordance with our legal obligations.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies separately. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by us.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or legal requirements. The current version will always be published on this page with the date of last update shown at the top. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

12. Contact and Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent supervisory authority for data protection:

  • Website: ico.org.uk
  • Helpline: 0303 123 1113
  • Our ICO Registration Number: ZB561337