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Privacy Policy

Startled Co Pty Ltd (ABN 84653176928)

Last updated: 14 July 2026

1. About this policy

Startled Co Pty Ltd (ABN 84653176928) (“Startled”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a digital marketing agency based in Queensland, Australia. We provide services including Google Ads and Meta Ads management, search engine optimisation (SEO), AI optimisation (AIO) and web development.

This policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information, and how you can contact us about it. We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This policy applies to our website at startled.co and to the personal information we handle in the course of running our business.

2. The personal information we collect

The types of personal information we collect depend on how you interact with us, and may include:

  • Identity and contact details — your name, email address, phone number, company name and job title, for example when you submit an enquiry form, request a proposal or book a call.
  • Client and billing information — business details, billing information and records of the services we provide to you.
  • Platform and campaign data — where you engage us to manage advertising, analytics or website accounts, we may access account identifiers, campaign performance data and, in some cases, lead or customer data held in those accounts.
  • Technical and usage data — your IP address, browser type, device and operating system information, referring pages and how you use our website, collected through cookies and similar technologies.
  • Communications — records of your correspondence with us, including emails, form submissions and meeting notes.

We do not actively seek to collect sensitive information (such as health information). If you choose to provide it to us, we will only handle it in accordance with the Privacy Act.

3. How we collect personal information

  • Directly from you — when you complete a form on our website, email or call us, book a meeting, connect with us on social media, or engage our services.
  • Automatically — through cookies, pixels, analytics tools and server logs when you use our website.
  • From third parties — such as advertising and analytics platforms (for example, Google and Meta), referral partners, and publicly available sources such as company websites and LinkedIn.

4. Why we collect and use personal information

We collect, hold and use personal information to:

  • respond to your enquiries and prepare proposals and quotes;
  • provide, manage and improve our services, including campaign management, reporting and account administration;
  • process payments and maintain our business records;
  • send you marketing communications about our services, where permitted (you can opt out at any time — see section 12);
  • operate, analyse and improve our website, and measure the performance of our own advertising;
  • comply with our legal obligations and protect our legal rights.

5. Information we handle on behalf of clients

As a marketing agency, we often handle personal information on behalf of our clients — for example, leads generated by campaigns we manage, or customer data held in a client’s advertising, analytics or CRM accounts. We handle that information under our client’s instructions and only for the purpose of providing our services. In those cases, the client’s own privacy policy governs how the information is collected and used, and requests relating to it should be directed to the relevant client. We can help route your request to them where appropriate.

6. Cookies, analytics and advertising technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to help it function, to understand how it is used, and to measure and improve our marketing. The tools we currently use, or may use, include:

  • Google Analytics 4 — to understand how visitors use our website.
  • Google Ads — conversion tracking and remarketing tags, so we can measure our advertising and show relevant ads to previous visitors.
  • Meta Pixel — conversion tracking and remarketing across Facebook and Instagram.
  • LinkedIn Insight Tag — conversion tracking and remarketing on LinkedIn.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings, although parts of our website may not function as intended without them. You can also manage personalised advertising directly:

7. Who we share personal information with

We do not sell personal information. We may share it with:

  • Service providers — such as website hosting, email and productivity platforms, CRM and project management tools, accounting and invoicing software, analytics providers, and AI-assisted tools we use in delivering our services, in each case only as needed for them to provide their services to us;
  • Advertising and analytics platforms — such as Google, Meta and LinkedIn, when we run and measure campaigns;
  • Professional advisers — such as our accountants, lawyers and insurers;
  • Government agencies, regulators or courts — where required or authorised by law.

8. Overseas disclosure

Some of the service providers and platforms we use store or process information outside Australia, including in the United States and other countries in which those providers or our clients operate. Where we disclose personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

9. How we keep personal information secure

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps include using reputable providers, encrypting data in transit, restricting access to those who need it, and using access controls such as multi-factor authentication. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. How long we keep personal information

We keep personal information for as long as it is needed for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law — for example, financial records are generally kept for seven years. When personal information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

11. Accessing and correcting your personal information

You can request access to the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it, by contacting us using the details in section 18. We will respond within a reasonable period (usually within 30 days). We do not charge for making a request or for correcting information, though we may charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of providing access in some cases. If we refuse a request, we will explain why in writing.

12. Marketing communications

We only send marketing communications in accordance with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Every marketing email we send identifies us and includes a working unsubscribe option. You can opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe link or by contacting us directly. Opting out of our emails does not stop remarketing ads served by third-party platforms — you can manage those using the options in section 6.

13. Data breaches

If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm to individuals, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

14. Third-party websites

Our website may link to third-party websites and platforms. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies.

15. International visitors and clients

Our website and services are directed primarily at Australian businesses, but we also work with clients outside Australia. Where overseas privacy laws apply to our handling of your personal information, we take reasonable steps to comply with those requirements. If you are located outside Australia and wish to exercise rights available under your local law, please contact us using the details in section 18.

16. Making a complaint

If you have a concern or complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first using the details in section 18. We take complaints seriously and will respond within a reasonable period (usually within 30 days). If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version will always be published on our website, with the “last updated” date shown at the top.

18. Contact us

Privacy enquiries, access or correction requests, and complaints can be directed to:

Startled Co Pty Ltd

Attn: Privacy Officer

Email: brendan@startled.co

Address: Level 6, 25 King Street, Bowen Hills, Queensland, Australia

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