The Client is King 

Increasingly often companies are recording the customer information they collect. It allows these companies to accurately gain a detailed picture of their (potential) customers on which to base their sales and/or advertising strategy. It is thus possible to approach certain groups of customers, and even individuals, personally with special offers attuned to their behaviour, preferences and/or lifestyle. There are several ways to realise this: by post, telephone, via e-mail of with the help of in-store information terminals. This form of direct marketing reduces advertising costs on the one hand (after all, only a limited group of people receive a special offer), while on the other hand the chance of a higher response to a special offer is increased (only those people who are probably interested receive a special offer).

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Modern technology allows us to record large quantities of information in databases which, via analysis, is relatively simple to convert into valuable information (reducible to individuals). This has led to the introduction of these possibilities on an increasingly large scale. The data processor responsible for collecting and using this data processing must comply with the right of respect for personal privacy, embedded in the Constitution. This fundamental right is worked out in greater detail in the Personal Data Protection Act. Rules are included in this act for a just and lawful processing of personal data. The basic premises of these rules are as follows:
1 The personal data must be collected for specific, expressly defined and justifiable purposes;
2 The processing must have a lawful basis;
3 Furthermore, the processing must not be incompatible with the purpose for which the personal data has been collected.

Citation
Artz, M. (1999). Koning Klant, het gebruik van klantgegevens voor marketingdoeleinden [The Client is King] Dutch DPA, May 1999. Background studies & Investigations 14