Privacy Policy | Brown Box Branding

Who we are

Brown Box Branding, LLC ("Brown Box Branding," "we," "us" or "our") is a branding, web design, software and digital marketing agency based in Detroit, Michigan, founded in 2013. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal information when you visit brownboxbranding.com, fill out a form, receive text messages or emails from us, see our advertising, or work with us as a client (together, the "Services").

By using the Services, you acknowledge this policy. If you do not agree with it, please do not use the Services.

Information we collect

Information you give us. When you fill out a form, request a free audit, start a project or contact us, we collect what you enter. Depending on the form, that can include your name, email address, company name, website address, mobile phone number, the services you are interested in, budget range, timeline, the competitors or search terms you list, and any message you write. If you become a client, we also collect billing and project information needed to deliver the work.

Information collected automatically. When you visit the site, we and our service providers automatically collect technical information through cookies, pixels, tags and similar technologies. This includes your IP address and approximate location, browser and device type, operating system, pages viewed, time on page, links clicked, the page or ad that referred you, and campaign details such as UTM parameters and ad click identifiers.

Information from others. We may receive information from advertising and analytics partners, such as reports on how our ads performed, and from public sources such as your company website when we prepare an audit you requested.

Sensitive information. We do not ask for or knowingly collect sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, health information, financial account numbers or precise geolocation. Please do not include it in a form or message.

How we use information

To respond to your inquiry and prepare the proposal, quote or audit you asked for.
To deliver, manage and bill for client work.
To send you text messages and emails you agreed to receive.
To measure, improve and personalize the site and our content.
To advertise our services, including showing ads to people who visited our site and measuring whether ads lead to inquiries.
To keep the site, forms and systems secure and to prevent spam, fraud and abuse.
To comply with law, enforce our agreements and protect our rights.

Text messages (SMS)

If you give us your mobile number and check the box agreeing to receive text messages, we may send you texts about your inquiry, project updates, scheduling and appointment reminders, and account or service notifications. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Consent to receive texts is not a condition of any purchase.

Opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message. You will receive one confirmation text and no further messages unless you opt in again. Reply HELP for help. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Information sharing with subcontractors in support services, such as customer service and message delivery, is permitted. All other categories of sharing described in this policy exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

Texts are delivered through a third-party messaging provider that processes your number only to deliver our messages. See our SMS Terms and Conditions for full program details.

Email

If you contact us or become a client, we may email you about your inquiry or project. If you sign up for or agree to receive marketing emails, every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and we honor unsubscribe requests promptly as required by the CAN-SPAM Act. Service and transactional emails about active work may still be sent after you unsubscribe from marketing.

Cookies, analytics and advertising

We use cookies, pixels, tags, software development kits and similar technologies for three purposes: to make the site work (essential), to understand how the site is used (analytics), and to deliver and measure advertising (advertising).

Analytics. We use Google Analytics and similar tools to understand traffic and how visitors use the site. Google Analytics may use advertising features such as remarketing and demographic and interest reporting. You can opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Advertising and remarketing. We may advertise through platforms such as Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Meta, LinkedIn, StackAdapt and other programmatic advertising networks and demand side platforms. These partners may place cookies or pixels on our site, or use device and browser identifiers, to show our ads to people who visited the site (remarketing), to reach audiences with similar interests, to limit how often you see an ad, and to measure conversions. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website or other websites.

Audience matching. We may share hashed (encrypted) contact information, such as an email address, with advertising platforms so they can match it to their users for audience building, exclusion or measurement, for example Google Customer Match. Platforms use the hashed data only for matching and do not receive it in readable form from us. Mobile numbers and SMS opt-in data are never used for this.

Automated and AI-driven advertising. Many ad platforms use automated bidding, machine learning and artificial intelligence to decide which ads to show, to whom and when, based on signals they collect on and off our site, such as Google Performance Max or Meta Advantage+. We do not control the individual decisions those systems make. We do not use automated decision making that produces legal or similarly significant effects about you.

AI tools. We may use AI-powered tools from service providers to help us write content, analyze site performance and organize inquiries. We use them as service providers under terms that limit how they use your information.

Your advertising choices

You can limit interest-based advertising at any time:

Google: My Ad Center
Microsoft: Microsoft ad settings
Meta: Ad preferences
Many programmatic networks, including StackAdapt: the Digital Advertising Alliance and Network Advertising Initiative opt-out tools, and YourAdChoices.ca in Canada
Your browser: block or delete cookies, or use a private browsing mode

Opting out does not stop ads; it means the ads you see will be less tailored. Opt-outs are set per browser and device, so you may need to repeat them, and clearing cookies may remove them.

Global Privacy Control. We treat a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal from your browser as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information and of targeted advertising for that browser. Because there is no common standard for "Do Not Track" signals, we do not respond to them separately.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share it only as described here:

Service providers who work on our behalf, such as website hosting, our lead tracking system, email and text message delivery, analytics, scheduling, payment processing and IT security. They may use the information only to provide services to us.
Advertising and analytics partners as described above. Under some state laws, letting these partners collect information through cookies and pixels for targeted advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing." You can opt out as described in Your privacy choices.
Contractors and partners who help deliver client work, under confidentiality obligations.
Legal and safety reasons: to comply with law, a subpoena or a government request, or to protect the rights, property or safety of Brown Box Branding, our clients or others.
Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing or sale of assets, subject to this policy.
With your consent or at your direction.

SMS opt-in data and consent are never shared with third parties, as stated in the Text messages section.

Your privacy choices

Depending on where you live, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas, Oregon and other states with privacy laws, you may have the right to:

Know what personal information we collect, use and disclose, and get a copy of it.
Correct inaccurate personal information.
Delete personal information we hold about you.
Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and of targeted advertising.
Limit the use of sensitive personal information (we do not collect it).
Appeal our decision on your request.

How to make a request. Email info@brownboxbranding.com with the subject "Privacy request," or use our contact form and mention "Privacy request." Tell us which right you want to use. We will verify your request by confirming information you have already given us, such as your email address, and respond within the time the law requires, generally 45 days. You may use an authorized agent, who must show your signed permission. To opt out of targeted advertising instantly, use the tools above or turn on Global Privacy Control.

Appeals. If we deny your request, you can appeal by replying to our decision. We will respond to the appeal in writing within the time the law requires. If you are unhappy with the result, you can contact your state attorney general.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

California notice

In the past 12 months we have collected these categories of personal information: identifiers (such as name, email, phone number and IP address); commercial information (such as services requested); internet and network activity (such as pages viewed and ad interactions); approximate geolocation; and professional information (such as company and role). We collect them from you, your devices, and our advertising and analytics partners, for the purposes in How we use information. We disclose identifiers and internet activity to service providers, and to advertising partners in a way that may count as "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16. We keep each category for the periods in How long we keep information.

How long we keep information

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes in this policy. Inquiries that do not become projects are kept while there is a reasonable chance of working together and then deleted or de-identified. Client records are kept for the length of the relationship and as long afterward as needed for tax, accounting, legal and contractual requirements. SMS consent records are kept as long as needed to prove consent. Analytics and advertising data is kept according to the settings and retention limits of each platform.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect personal information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access limited to people who need it, and reputable hosting providers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a breach affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by law.

Children

The Services are for businesses and are not directed to children under 13, or under 16 where state law sets a higher age. We do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Visitors outside the United States

We are based in the United States and the Services are intended for US businesses. If you visit from another country, your information will be processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your country. Where the law requires consent for cookies or advertising, such as in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, we will ask for it before using non-essential cookies.

Links to other sites

The site, our articles and our portfolio link to websites we do not control. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our practices or the law change. The "Last updated" date shows the latest version. If we make material changes, we will post them here and, where required, notify you or ask for your consent.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or a privacy request: email info@brownboxbranding.com or use our contact form. For text messages, reply HELP to any message or STOP to opt out.