Privacy Policy

The Brand Accord (ABN 58 358 474 053) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use, disclose and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, book a meeting, receive marketing from us, engage our services or otherwise deal with us.

The Brand Accord is a small business and may not be required to comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) in all circumstances. Regardless, we aim to handle personal information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as a matter of good privacy practice. Where the Privacy Act applies to us, we will comply with its requirements.

At a glance

We collect only information reasonably needed to respond to you, deliver our services and operate our business.

We do not sell personal information or operate as a data broker.

We use trusted technology providers, including HubSpot, Google Workspace and Lovable; some information may be stored or processed outside Australia.

Our website does not currently have Google Analytics 4, Google Ads conversion tracking or Meta Pixel installed. If this changes, we will update this policy and implement appropriate cookie or consent controls where required.

You can unsubscribe from marketing, ask to access or correct your information, and raise privacy questions or complaints.

Privacy contact: hello@thebrandaccord.com.au.

1. About The Brand Accord

The Brand Accord is a strategic marketing consultancy based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Business name: The Brand Accord

ABN: 58 358 474 053

Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Email: hello@thebrandaccord.com.au

2. Personal information we collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you deal with us. It may include:

• your name, job title and the business or organisation you work for;
• your email address, telephone number and website address;
• information you submit through our website forms, booking tools or other enquiry channels;
• the content of emails, messages and other communications with us;
• meeting, consultation and workshop details;
• information about your business and its marketing, brand, website, communications or other service needs;
• briefs, proposals, scopes, project materials and information you provide in connection with an engagement;
• your marketing preferences, opt-in details, consent records and unsubscribe requests;
• billing, invoicing and transaction-related information connected to a client engagement;
• publicly available business or professional contact details, as described in section 5; and
• limited technical information connected with your use of our website, as described in section 10.

We aim to collect only personal information that is reasonably necessary for our business functions and activities.

3. Photos, video, recordings and testimonials

Our content, social media and video work may involve photographs, video footage or voice recordings of identifiable people, including a client's staff, contractors, customers, visitors or event participants. Where an individual is reasonably identifiable, this material may be personal information.

We or the relevant client, as appropriate, will seek to ensure that any permissions or consents required for publication or use of identifiable images, footage or recordings have been obtained. Where the client is responsible for obtaining permissions or consents, this may also be addressed in our engagement terms.

We will obtain appropriate permission before publishing a testimonial or review under an identifiable person's name where permission is required.

We will only record a meeting, consultation or call where participants have been informed and appropriate agreement has been obtained.

4. Sensitive information

We do not ordinarily need sensitive information to provide our services, and we ask that you do not send it to us unless it is genuinely necessary for the relevant purpose.

Sensitive information includes information about health, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, sexual orientation, criminal records and certain biometric information.

If sensitive information is reasonably necessary, we will collect or handle it only where appropriate consent has been obtained or where the collection or handling is otherwise permitted or required by law.

5. How we collect personal information

We collect most personal information directly from you, for example when you:

• submit a form or book a meeting through our website;
• contact us by email, telephone, social media or another channel;
• request information, a proposal or quotation;
• engage us to provide services;
• subscribe to marketing communications;
• attend a meeting, event, workshop or networking activity involving The Brand Accord; or
• otherwise communicate or work with us.

We may also collect appropriate business or professional contact information from lawful third-party or public sources, including:

• publicly available business websites;
• professional networking profiles, including LinkedIn;
• business and industry directories;
• public corporate or organisational information;
• referrals, introductions and networking contacts; and
• other sources where collection is lawful and reasonably relevant to our business activities.

Where we collect personal information from another source, we may take reasonable steps to inform you of the source and circumstances of collection where required by law or reasonably appropriate in the circumstances. You may also ask us where we obtained your contact information.

The fact that information is publicly available does not mean it may be used for any purpose. Our use of publicly available information remains subject to applicable privacy, marketing and communications laws.

6. Dealing with us anonymously or by pseudonym

Where practicable, you may contact us with a general question without providing your full identity or by using a pseudonym.

However, we may need appropriate identifying and contact information to prepare a proposal, book or conduct a meeting, enter into an engagement, issue invoices, respond to certain requests or provide services.

Our website may also process limited technical information automatically when you visit, as described in section 10. For this reason, we do not represent that all website use is technically anonymous.

7. Why we collect, hold and use personal information

We may collect, hold and use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries, requests and communications;
• understand your business and its marketing, brand, website, content or communications needs;
• research and assess an enquiry or prospective engagement, including reviewing a business's public website and online presence;
• prepare proposals, scopes of work, recommendations and quotations;
• schedule and conduct meetings, consultations and workshops;
• deliver, administer, manage and improve our services and client projects;
• keep appropriate prospective-client and client records;
• manage customer relationship and communication records;
• issue invoices and maintain business, accounting and taxation records;
• maintain the security and operation of our website, devices, accounts and systems;
• handle privacy questions, access or correction requests and complaints;
• measure and improve our business processes and customer experience;
• send marketing communications where permitted by law and in accordance with section 8; and
• meet legal, regulatory, contractual, accounting and record-keeping obligations.

We will not use or disclose personal information for an unrelated purpose unless you consent or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

8. Marketing communications and business development

We may send commercial electronic messages about our services, insights, updates or offers where we have express consent, where consent can lawfully be inferred, or where another exception under applicable law permits the communication.

We do not treat the mere public availability of an email address or telephone number as consent. Where we rely on a conspicuously published business electronic address, we will do so only where the applicable legal requirements are met, including where there is no statement indicating that unsolicited commercial messages are not wanted and the message is directly relevant to the recipient's work-related business, functions, duties or role.

Where we ask you to opt in to marketing, providing consent is optional. It is not a condition of making a general enquiry or engaging The Brand Accord. Submitting an enquiry does not, by itself, subscribe you to our general marketing list.

Commercial electronic messages sent by us will identify The Brand Accord, include appropriate contact details and provide an unsubscribe facility where required by law.

You may unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe facility in an applicable marketing message or emailing hello@thebrandaccord.com.au. We will action unsubscribe requests within five working days. Where required by law, the unsubscribe facility will remain functional for at least 30 days after the message is sent.

Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from contacting you where reasonably necessary to respond to an enquiry, perform a contract, provide requested services, administer an existing engagement, issue invoices or comply with legal obligations.

We aim to keep appropriate records of marketing consent and unsubscribe requests.

9. HubSpot customer relationship management

We use HubSpot to assist with managing enquiries, contact records, meeting bookings, communications, proposals and marketing preferences. Our website enquiry form and meeting booking functionality may be provided through or integrated with HubSpot.

Information you submit through our website or share with us in the course of doing business may be recorded in HubSpot so that we can:

• respond to enquiries and follow up consultations or proposals;
• maintain accurate contact, prospect and client records;
• manage meetings and appointments;
• record marketing preferences, consent and unsubscribe requests where applicable;
• maintain records relevant to our services; and
• improve the way we manage enquiries and client relationships.

Submitting an enquiry does not automatically subscribe you to marketing communications.

10. Our website, cookies and tracking

Our website is built using Lovable. When you visit our website, standard technical information may be processed automatically to deliver the site, maintain security and support essential functionality. This may include your IP address or network information, browser and device type, pages requested and the date and time of your visit.

Our HubSpot enquiry form and meeting booking functionality may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary or useful for functionality, security, spam prevention, session management or linking a submission to a contact record.

As at the date of this policy, we do not have Google Analytics 4, Google Ads conversion tracking or Meta Pixel installed on our website. Google Tag Manager, if used solely as a tag-management container, will not be treated in this policy as an analytics service by itself; any analytics or advertising technology deployed through it will be disclosed as appropriate.

If we introduce non-essential analytics, advertising or behavioural tracking technologies in future, we will update this policy and, where appropriate or legally required, provide controls that allow users to accept, reject or manage non-essential tracking.

You may also be able to manage or block cookies through your browser or device settings. Blocking some cookies may affect forms, meeting booking or other website functionality.

11. Information we handle for clients

When delivering services, we may access or receive information held in a client's systems or accounts, such as a website, content management system, social media account, advertising account, analytics platform, CRM, email platform or customer list. Those systems may contain personal information about the client's customers, employees, contractors or other individuals.

Where we handle that information on a client's behalf, we will use it only for the purposes of the engagement, in accordance with the client's lawful instructions, our engagement terms and applicable legal obligations. We do not use client-controlled personal information for our own unrelated marketing purposes.

The client remains responsible for ensuring that its collection and instructions concerning personal information are lawful. Where appropriate, our engagement terms may allocate responsibilities relating to access, permissions, consent, confidentiality, data handling, return or deletion of information and use of subcontractors or service providers.

12. Who we share personal information with

We do not sell personal information or operate as a data broker.

We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to operate our business or deliver services, including to providers of:

• website building, hosting and technical infrastructure, including Lovable;
• customer relationship management, forms and scheduling, including HubSpot;
• email, cloud storage and business productivity tools, including Google Workspace;
• online meetings and communications;
• artificial intelligence-enabled or technology-assisted tools where appropriate;
• accounting, bookkeeping, payment and financial administration;
• information technology, cybersecurity and technical support; and
• legal, accounting, insurance and other professional advice.

Where appropriate, we may engage contractors, subcontractors or specialist service providers to assist with a client engagement. Where personal information needs to be shared with them, we will limit disclosure to information reasonably necessary for their role and take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to protect confidentiality and privacy.

We may also disclose personal information where required or authorised by law, or where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

13. Overseas storage, processing and disclosure

Some of the technology providers used by The Brand Accord operate internationally. Personal information may therefore be stored, accessed, processed or disclosed outside Australia, depending on the provider, our account configuration, the hosting region selected and the subprocessors used.

For example, HubSpot operates data-hosting infrastructure in Australia, the United States, Canada and the European Union (Germany), with an account generally hosted in a selected or assigned region. Lovable Cloud supports regional hosting in the European Union, the United States and Asia Pacific. Google Workspace and other providers may also process information through infrastructure and subprocessors located in multiple countries.

As a result, overseas recipients or processing locations may include the United States, Germany and other countries within the European Economic Area, as well as other jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region or elsewhere where our providers or authorised subprocessors operate.

Where it is practicable and required by applicable law, we will identify and periodically review the countries in which overseas recipients are likely to be located. Provider infrastructure and subprocessor arrangements can change, so this policy may be updated as our technology arrangements evolve.

Where applicable law imposes obligations concerning overseas disclosure, we will take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to address those obligations.

14. Artificial intelligence and technology-assisted tools

We may use artificial intelligence-enabled or technology-assisted tools for activities such as research, analysis, drafting, content development, design, administration and productivity.

When using these tools, we aim to:

• use only information reasonably necessary for the relevant task;
• minimise unnecessary personal information;
• avoid intentionally inputting sensitive personal information unless this is reasonably necessary, appropriately authorised and subject to suitable safeguards;
• use appropriate business, privacy or data-control settings where available;
• review provider terms, privacy practices and security information where appropriate;
• avoid using client-controlled personal information for unrelated purposes; and
• retain human responsibility and professional oversight for the work we deliver.

Where available and appropriate, we may select settings designed to limit the use of our inputs for model training. The availability and effect of those settings depend on the provider and service plan.

15. Automated decision-making

As at the date of this policy, The Brand Accord does not use personal information in computer programs that make, or substantially and directly contribute to making, decisions that could reasonably be expected to significantly affect an individual's rights or interests.

If this changes, and applicable law requires additional transparency about automated decision-making, we will update this policy before or when the relevant practice is introduced, as required.

16. Storage and security

We store personal information primarily in electronic and cloud-based systems. We take reasonable technical and organisational steps appropriate to the circumstances to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Depending on the system and circumstances, these measures may include:

• multi-factor authentication where available and appropriate;
• strong authentication and password-management practices;
• limiting account and system access to people who reasonably need it;
• keeping business devices and software reasonably up to date;
• using access controls and security features provided by reputable technology suppliers;
• appropriate administrative and confidentiality controls; and
• reasonable backup and recovery practices.

No electronic system, internet transmission or storage environment can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should therefore exercise appropriate care when transmitting information electronically.

17. Data breaches

If we suspect a data breach involving personal information, we will take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to contain and investigate the incident, assess the information affected and potential risks, and take remedial action where possible.

Where applicable law requires notification, including under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme where it applies to The Brand Accord, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required.

Following a material incident, we may also review relevant systems, controls and practices to reduce the risk of recurrence.

18. Accuracy and quality of personal information

We take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to ensure that personal information we use or disclose is accurate, up to date, complete and relevant for the purpose for which it is being used or disclosed.

You can help us by letting us know if your contact details or other personal information change or if you believe information we hold about you is inaccurate.

19. Accessing your personal information

You may ask for access to personal information we hold about you by emailing hello@thebrandaccord.com.au.

We may ask you to provide reasonable proof of identity before giving access, in order to protect information from unauthorised disclosure.

We aim to respond to access requests within 30 calendar days. Where the Privacy Act applies, access may be subject to exceptions permitted by law. If we refuse access, or part of an access request, we will provide any notice, reasons and complaint information required by applicable law.

We do not charge you merely for making an access request. Where permitted by law, we may charge a reasonable and non-excessive amount for reasonable administrative costs involved in providing access. If a charge is proposed, we will tell you before proceeding.

20. Correcting your personal information

If you believe personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, you may ask us to correct it by emailing hello@thebrandaccord.com.au.

We aim to respond to correction requests within 30 calendar days. We do not charge you for requesting a correction, making an appropriate correction, or associating a statement with information where applicable.

If the Privacy Act applies and we refuse a correction request, we will provide any notice, reasons and complaint information required by law. Where applicable, you may also ask us to associate a statement with the information indicating that you consider it to be inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

You may also contact us at any time to update your contact details or marketing preferences.

21. How long we keep information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, to administer a client or prospective-client relationship, or to meet legal, contractual, regulatory, accounting, taxation, dispute-management or record-keeping requirements.

For example, Australian taxation law generally requires many business and financial records to be retained for five years, although some records may need to be kept for longer in particular circumstances.

When personal information is no longer reasonably required, we may take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy, anonymise or de-identify it. Copies may remain temporarily in secure backups until they are overwritten or deleted through normal backup cycles.

22. Children

Our website and services are primarily directed to businesses and organisations and are not directed at children. We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information directly from children through our website.

Where client work involves photographs, video, recordings or other personal information relating to children, we will work with the client to ensure that appropriate permissions, consents and safeguards are addressed where required. The client may be responsible for obtaining relevant permissions where this forms part of the engagement.

23. Privacy questions and complaints

If you have a question, concern or complaint about the way The Brand Accord handles personal information, please email hello@thebrandaccord.com.au and include enough information for us to understand and investigate the issue.

We will aim to acknowledge a privacy complaint within five working days and provide a substantive response within 30 calendar days. If additional time is reasonably required, we will endeavour to let you know.

Our complaint-handling process may include reviewing the relevant circumstances, requesting additional information where necessary, investigating the issue and proposing an appropriate response or resolution.

If the Privacy Act applies to the matter and you are dissatisfied with our response, you may be entitled to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). Information about privacy complaints is available at www.oaic.gov.au.

24. Third-party websites and services

Our website and communications may contain links to websites, social media platforms, software or services operated by third parties. Those third parties operate independently and have their own privacy, security and data-handling practices.

Except to the extent required by law, The Brand Accord is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, availability or content of independently operated third-party websites or services. We encourage you to review relevant third-party privacy information before providing personal information directly to them.

25. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, business practices, technology providers, website functionality, marketing activities, privacy and security practices or legal obligations.

The current version will be made available on our website. The "Last updated" date at the beginning of this policy will be revised when the policy is materially updated.

26. Contact us

For privacy questions, access or correction requests, marketing preference changes or complaints, please contact:

The Brand Accord

ABN 58 358 474 053

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Email: hello@thebrandaccord.com.au