Privacy policy

 This privacy policy is applicable to users within both the European Union and Switzerland. It is created in compliance with relevant data protection regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the EU and the revised Data Protection Act (revDSG) of Switzerland. The entity responsible for the collection and processing of your personal data on this website is W4 Marketing AG, located at Idastrasse 14, 8003 Zürich. Our data protection officer is David Köhler, whom you may contact via dkohler(at)w-4.com. Any data subject that has questions or suggestions may contact our data protection officer at any time. 

Data protection has a particularly high priority in our company. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy.
The use of our internet pages is in principle possible without entering any personal data. However, if an affected person wishes to use certain services (such as contact forms, newsletter registration) on our website, personal data processing may be required.
If the processing of personal data is required and there is no legal basis for such processing, e.g. the fulfillment of a contract or fulfillment of a legal obligation, we generally obtain the consent of the data subject. In addition, personal data processing will always be in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (hereafter GDPR) and in accordance with country-specific privacy policies.

We process personal data that we obtain in the course of your use of our services. The processed data includes, in particular:

• Identification data (e.g., name, email address)

• Contact data (e.g., phone number, address)

• Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times)

• Meta and communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses)

This data is processed exclusively for the purposes stated in this privacy policy. We strictly adhere to the principles of data minimization and data avoidance.

By means of this privacy policy we would like to inform our website visitors about the nature, extent and purpose of the personal data collected, used and processed by us. Furthermore, we would like to inform you about your rights. 

As data controller, we have implemented numerous technical and organizational measures to ensure the most complete protection possible for personal data processed via this website. Our websites as well as our blog have included an SSL certificate to increase security. The SSL certificate is used to encrypt the data exchanged over HTTP. Nevertheless, Internet-based data transmissions can in principle have security gaps so that absolute protection cannot be guaranteed.

Insofar as we obtain your consent for processing personal data, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a) EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) serves as the legal basis for processing.

If the processing of personal data is necessary to fulfill a contract with you, as is the case, for example, with processing operations necessary for the supply of goods or the provision of any other service or consideration, the processing is based on Article 6 (1) lit. b GDPR. The same applies to processing operations that are necessary to carry out pre-contractual measures, for example in cases of inquiries regarding our products or services.

If we are subject to a legal obligation which requires the processing of personal data, such as the fulfillment of tax obligations, the processing is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR.

In rare cases, the processing of personal data may be required to protect vital interests of you or another natural person. This would be the case if, for example, a visitor to our company were injured and his / her name, age, health insurance or other vital information would have to be passed on to a doctor, hospital or another third party. In this case, data processing would be based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. d GDPR.

Your personal data will be deleted or inactivated as soon as the purpose of the storage has been completed. However, data may be stored beyond that if European or national legislatures in their laws or regulations to which we as a company are subject provide for such data storage.

We use the marketing automation software HubSpot of the American company Hubspot Inc., 2nd Floor 30 North Wall Quay, Dublin 1, Ireland, hereafter "Hubspot", for the realization of our website and our blog. Hubspot is an integrated software solution that covers various aspects of our Digital Marketing, Sales, and Customer Relation Management. We also use the tool to analyze our websites for the purpose of optimizing them and to provide you with the best possible and user-friendly service.

We use Hubspot for:

• a contact form to provide users an easy option to contact us

• subscribing to the newsletter and sending out the newsletter

• the content management for our website www.w-4.ch and our blog https://blog.marketingblatt.com/

• commenting on our blog as well as subscribing to a blog update

• the creation of landing pages, which are used as part of an advertising campaign and contain interaction options such as contacting us or downloading white papers, infographics, flyers or other information materials

• social media linking or social media sharing

• the evaluation of the use of our website (e.g. access, visited pages, length of stay, etc.) as well as for the evaluation of the use of our newsletters (opening rate, click rate, unsubscribes, etc.).

For detailed information on the scope of data processing, the legal basis, the purpose, the duration of storage and the possibilities of objection, please refer to points 3.1 to 3.6.

The content of our websites as well as your personal data, which you provide, for example, when using our contact form or when registering for our newsletter, are stored on servers of our software partner HubSpot.

Hubspot also uses "cookies" that are stored on your computer and allow us to analyze your use of the website. The collected information (such as IP address, geographic location, type of browser, duration of visit and pages viewed) is evaluated by Hubspot on behalf of us, so that we can generate reports on the visits to our pages and how they are used to improve our internet presence. If you generally do not want us to track your activity on our website and blog through Hubspot, you can object to this in the cookie message that appears when you visit our website for the first time.

All data we collect is subject to this Privacy Policy. HubSpot is certified under the terms of the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework and is governed by the TRUSTe Privacy Seal and the US-Swiss Safe Harbor Framework. This means that the processing of personal data by certified companies in non-European countries complies with European data protection standards.

More information about HubSpot's privacy policy can be found here.

More information from HubSpot regarding the EU Privacy Policy can be found here.

More information about the cookies used by HubSpot can be found here.

Our product-specific landing pages contain a contact form, which website visitors can use to contact us. Art. 6 para. 1 f GDPR (legitimate interest) is the legal basis for the processing of contact requests. In this case, our legitimate interest in processing personal data extends to the ability to reply to your inquiry. If you provide us with your personal data through the contact form, the disclosure of this data on your part is always on an expressly voluntary basis. The legal basis for data processing  is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR  in this case. If we process your data for the purpose of carrying out pre-contractual measures, Art. 6 para. 1 b GDPR is the legal basis.

The following data will be collected by using the contact form:

• Your e-mail address as well as the inquiry are mandatory fields that enable us to process the inquiry and reply to it.

• Your name, first name and salutation and company name are optional fields. The information is voluntary and serves a correct and optimal personal approach.

Your personal data will be used exclusively for the processing of the conversation and will not be disclosed to unauthorized third parties. The data is stored in our Marketing Automation Tool Hubspot until your inquiry or all relevant facts associated with it are finally clarified. Thereafter, the data will be deleted, unless the contact request results in a contract. In this case, we can and must keep your data on the basis of the statutory periods. You have the opportunity to revoke your consent to the processing of your data at any time. All personal data stored in the course of establishing contact will be deleted immediately in this case.

As part of the registration process for our digital Marketingblatt (= newsletter), we collect the following data from you.

Data that you enter in the subscription form:

• salutation
• first name and name
• Email address
• consent

Technical data collected at registration:

• IP address
• Time of registration and declaration of consent
• Webform that was used for the registration
• Information about the Double-Opt-In workflow

Further data that can be collected in the course of newsletter marketing:

• Each newsletter contains a link to a preference page where you can specify your interests (e.g., marketing information, events) so that we can provide you with relevant information. 

For the processing of the data, your consent is obtained during the registration process. When you register for our digitalMarketingblatt, you will receive a confirmation email with a link. The link will verify your email address. This process is called Double-Opt-In (DOI) and protects you and us against misuse of your email address and helps to prove that the consent actually comes from the owner of the email address entered at registration.

The following data will be collected if you choose to register for our printMarketingblatt:

• Salutation
• First name and name
• Company Name
• Email address
• Address (street, ZIP code, city)
• Consent
• Optionally, you can tell us your phone number.

The Marketingblatt is published in print twice a year. By registering for the Marketingblatt print, you agree that we can process your personal data for the purpose of sending you the free print version.

If you provide us with your personal data by registering, the disclosure of this data is always on an expressly voluntary basis. The legal basis for processing is Article 6 (1) lit. a GDPR.

Your personal data will be used exclusively for the regular shipping of our Marketingblatt and will not be passed on to unauthorized third parties. The data is stored in our Marketing Automation Tool Hubspot as long as the subscription is active. You have the opportunity to revoke your consent to the processing of your data at any time. Each digitalMarketingblatt contains an unsubscribe link. In addition, you can always send an email to our data protection officers (customer-care(at)w-4.com) and inform us of your subscription cancellation. All personal data stored in the course of the newsletter subscription will be deleted immediately in the event of revocation of consent to data processing and a simultaneous request for data erasure. 

We regularly create downloads such as white papers, infographics, e-books, presentations, flyers, etc. Creating a comprehensive white paper or infographic requires a lot of preparation time and valuable resources. By signing up for our Marketingblatt, you will also gain access to this exclusive and high-quality content. As regards the scope and purpose of the processing as well as its legal basis, storage, revocation and deletion periods as described in section 3.2, we will collect further marketing-specific data depending on the download. These data include e.g. the level of knowledge or experience on the respective subject, use of systems, etc. The evaluation of these questions helps us in the creation of further content.

Our blog has a comment feature that allows you to comment on blog posts. The use of this comment features requires the input of your email address. All other information such as name, first name and website are optional. The specification of an email address is necessary so that any objections to or further questions regarding your comments can be forwarded to you. If you enter your name and / or last name when publishing your comment, this information will be published. Your email address and all other voluntary information as well as the time the comment is created are stored in Hubspot but neither published nor disclosed to third parties. These data are processed solely for the purpose of commenting.
We reserve the right to delete comments with offensive, threatening or racist content.
If you provide us with your personal data through the comment function, the disclosure of this data on your part is always on an expressly voluntary basis. The legal basis for data processing is Article 6 (1) lit. a GDPR.
The data is stored in our Marketing Automation Tool Hubspot until you revoke your consent to data processing. You have the opportunity to revoke your consent to the processing of your data at any time. All personal data that has been entered by you in the comment function will be deleted immediately in the event of revocation. This requires that all comments you entered on our blog be deleted as well.

Hubspot enables us to carry out the following analytical surveys and evaluations:

• The activity on our websites and our blog

• Number of page views and length of stay of the website visitor

• Click path of the respective visitor

• File downloads provided through the website

• Access to landing pages

• Email opening rates of newsletters and campaigns

By using the website you consent to the collection of analytical data. You can unsubscribe from the Hubspot tracking via the button "REJECT" in the cookie message any time.

We use the Dealfront tool for IP tracking to identify company visits to our website. Dealfront analyzes IP addresses to recognize the companies accessing our website, providing insights into company names, industries, locations, and website interaction behavior. This helps us enhance our B2B lead generation efforts. The legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interest in optimizing our marketing efforts (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR and Art. 31 para. 1 revDSG).

Some of the Internet pages use so-called cookies. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer or mobile device and saved by your browser. Cookies do not cause any damage to your device and do not contain any viruses. Cookies serve to make our website more user-friendly, effective and secure. In addition, cookies enable us to analyze how visitors use the website (See 3.6).

Most of the cookies we use are so-called "session cookies". They are automatically deleted at the end of your visit. Other cookies remain stored on your device until you delete them. These cookies enable us to recognise your browser the next time you visit our website.

You can set your browser so that you are informed about the setting of cookies and only allow cookies in individual cases, exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or in general, and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when closing the browser. If cookies are deactivated, the functionality of this website may be restricted.

There is a distinction between first-party and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are those that are set for our website. All other cookies are third-party cookies. Our websites use both first-party and third-party cookies.

Not all cookies collect personal data.

Among others, the following personal data may be collected through cookies:

• IP address

• Login information

The following non-personal collected through cookies may include:

• Browser language

• Session information

The data collected will be used solely to optimize the performance and design of this website. These cookies are third-party cookies (such as Google Analytics, Hubspot). However, the data will be collected in anonymous form and used exclusively by us.

If you generally do not wish to use cookies, you can view and delete the cookies that are stored on your device in your browser settings and generally control the use of cookies. For more information, please refer to the help feature of your browser or contact the support of your browser provider. However, it cannot be ruled out that important parts of our websites and the services offered there will no longer function properly if you do not allow cookies.

The legal basis for the processing of personal data by means of technically necessary cookies is Article 6 (1) of the GDPR. The legal basis for the processing of personal data by non-technically necessary cookies (analysis cookies) is Article 6 paragraph 1 a GDPR.

 Addition for Dealfront IP tracking: 

We use cookies in conjunction with the Dealfront tool to track IP addresses for identifying company visits to our website. These cookies help us recognize when the same company network revisits our site, allowing us to enhance our B2B lead generation and tailor our services accordingly. These cookies collect information such as IP addresses and company-related data but do not collect personal data that identifies individual users.

Our website uses Google Analytics. This is a service of Google Inc. ("Google") for the analysis of accesses to Internet pages and enables us to improve our Internet offers. Cookies (see above) enable us to analyze your use of our website. The information collected by means of a cookie (IP address, access time, access duration) is transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. The evaluation of your activities on our website will be transmitted to us in the form of reports. Google may disclose the collected information to third parties where required to do so by law or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. The Google tracking codes of our Internet offer use the function "_anonymizeIp()", thus IP addresses are only processed further in abbreviated form in order to exclude any possible direct personal reference to you. You can also prevent the installation of cookies by Google Analytics by choosing the corresponding setting in your browser software. In this case, however, you may not be able to use all the functions of our website to their full extent. Google Analytics can also be deactivated and controlled by browser extensions e.g. tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. By using our Internet offer you consent to the processing of the data collected about you by Google.

Click here to be excluded from the Google Analytics evaluation process.

We use the component "Google Maps" from Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA, hereafter "Google", on our website.
Each time you access the Google Maps component, Google sets a cookie to process user settings and data when you view the page that includes the Google Maps component. As a rule, this cookie is not deleted when you close your browser, but expires after a certain period of time, unless you delete it manually beforehand.
If you do not agree to this processing of your data, it is possible to deactivate the "Google Maps" service and thus prevent the transfer of data to Google. To do this, you must deactivate the Java Script function in your browser. However, we would like to point out that in this case you will not be able to use "Google Maps" or only to a limited extent. The use of "Google Maps" and the information obtained via "Google Maps" is subject to Google's Terms of Use as well as the additional terms and conditions for "Google Maps".

Our website links to our Facebook page as well as to our profiles on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Xing. No data will be transmitted to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn or Xing simply by linking to the respective pages via the icons.

We point out that you use our Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Xing pages as well as their functions voluntarily and on your own responsibility. This is especially true for the use of interactive features (e.g., commenting, sharing, rating). We point out that the data collected about you in this context are processed by Facebook Ltd., Twitter Inc., Google LLC, LinkedIn Inc. and Xing SE, and may be transferred to countries outside the European Union. The data that Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, or Xing receives and how they are used is described in the general terms and conditions by the respective providers in their data usage policies. You will also find information about contact options as well as the setting options for advertisements there. You can view the data usage guidelines here:

• Facebook

• Google

• Twitter

• LinkedIn

• Xing 

Our site uses YouTube LLC, 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, CA 94066, USA, represented by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, for embedding videos. Usually, when you visit an embedded video page, your IP address will be sent to YouTube and cookies will be installed on your device.

However, we embed our YouTube videos with the enhanced privacy mode. In this case, YouTube will still contact the Google DoubleClick service, but Google's privacy policy will not evaluate your personal information. As a result, YouTube does not store any information about visitors unless they watch the video. If you click the video, your IP address will be sent to YouTube, and YouTube will know that you have watched the video. If you are logged in to YouTube, this information will also be assigned to your user account. You can prevent this by logging out of YouTube before starting the video.

We have no knowledge of and no influence on the possible collection and use of your data by YouTube. For more information, see YouTube's privacy policy. In addition, for the general handling and deactivation of cookies, please refer to our general description in this data protection declaration.

Some of our internet offers contain hyperlinks to other websites which are not operated by us. We do not monitor these websites and are neither responsible for their content nor their handling of personal data.

The hosting service provider of our web pages automatically collects and saves information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically sends to us, whenever our web pages are accessed. These include:

• Visited website

• Date and time of website visit / server request

• Transferred amount of data

• Message about successful retrieval

• Browser type and browser version

• Used operating system

• Referrer URL (the previously visited page)

• Host name of the accessing computer

• IP addresses

The temporary storage of the IP address by the system is necessary to allow delivery of our web pages to your computer. For this, the IP address must be stored for at least the duration of the session. In addition, the data in the log files serve to optimize our websites and to ensure the security of our websites. Logfiles are not used to evaluate the behavior of website visitors and for marketing purposes and are not associated with other data collected by us. The storage of IP addresses enables law enforcement in the case of cyberattacks or in case of illegal use, because the IP addresses can be assigned to a user through the provider so that they can be identified. For this reason, the log files are stored at our hosting partner for a period of 6 months and then deleted.

The legal basis for the storage of the data in the log files is Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR. The collection of the data for the provision of the web pages and the storage of the data in log files is essential for the operation of our website. There is consequently no possibility of contradiction by you.

You have the following rights at any time, granted by the European Directive and Regulation Maker as well as the Swiss Data Protection Act:

• Right to Information: You can obtain free information about your stored personal data, its origin, recipients, and the purpose of data processing. If your data has been transferred to a third country or an international organization, you have the right to be informed about the appropriate safeguards.

• Right to Rectification and Completion: You can request the correction of incorrect data or the completion of incomplete data.

• Right to Deletion: Under certain conditions, you can request the immediate deletion of your data.

• Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your data under certain conditions.

• Right to Data Portability: Upon your request, we can provide you with your stored personal data in a common, machine-readable format or transfer it to another controller.

• Right to Lodge a Complaint with a Supervisory Authority: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.

• Right to Withdraw Consent: You can withdraw your consent to data collection and processing at any time with future effect.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at customer-care(at)w-4.com. We will process your request within 30 days.

Notification and contacting us

If you have any questions about this data protection declaration or your stored data, please contact us at customer-care(at)w-4.com.

This privacy policy may be updated from time to time. Changes will be published on this page and, if necessary, emailed to you.

Latest modified in:  August 2023