Privacy Policy

SimpsonScarborough values your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and safeguard your data across our website, research activities, community platform, and advertising services.

Updated: May 26, 2026

Section 1: Who We Are

SimpsonScarborough is a branding, marketing and research firm specializing in higher education. Our services include the following types of activities:

Conducting market research for clients (acting as a Service Provider / Data Processor)
Conducting market research for our own purposes (acting as a Data Controller)
Providing advertising and marketing services
Running and analyzing digital campaigns
Operating the CoLab community (also known as the CMOLab), an online community for higher education marketing leaders, hosted on the Circle platform

SimpsonScarborough acts as either a Data Controller or Data Processor, depending on the situation:

When conducting research on behalf of a client, the client controls the data, and SimpsonScarborough acts as a Service Provider/Data Processor.
When conducting research for our own purposes, SimpsonScarborough acts as a Data Controller and determines how data is used.
When operating the CoLab community, SimpsonScarborough acts as the Community Owner and Data Controller, and Circle (CircleCo, Inc.) acts as our Service Provider/Data Processor.

Section 2: Information We Collect

We collect personal data through our website, research studies, community platform, advertising services, and direct communications. The types of data we collect include:

SimpsonScarborough Website & General Business Data:

Personal identifiers (e.g., name, email, phone number)
Professional details (e.g., job title, organization, industry)
Communications data (e.g., messages sent via our CRM)
Website usage data (e.g., IP address, browser type, referring pages, session duration)
Cookies & tracking technologies (for website analytics & targeted advertising)

Market Research Data (Two Types):

1. Market Research Conducted for Clients (Service Provider / Data Processor)

Survey responses collected on behalf of a client
Demographic or behavioral data, if relevant and opt-ed in to participate in the research
Research participation details (e.g., interviews, focus groups), if relevant and consented to

2. Market Research Conducted by SimpsonScarborough (Data Controller)

Survey responses collected for our own studies
Industry trend analysis and benchmarking data
Insights used for thought leadership, whitepapers, and reports

Advertising & Marketing Data:

Engagement data from digital advertising campaigns
User interactions with ads we run for clients
Analytics on website visitor behavior in relation to marketing efforts
Cookies and tracking technologies used for ad targeting and effectiveness measurement

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Data:

If you engage with SimpsonScarborough (e.g., fill out a form, download a resource, request a consultation), your information may be stored in HubSpot CRM to track interactions and improve communication.

CoLab Community Data:

If you join the CoLab Community, hosted on the Circle platform, we (and Circle as our Service Provider) collect:

Account registration details (e.g., name, email address, password) provided when you create an account
Profile information (e.g., job title, organization, photo, biography) you choose to share with the community
User Content you post within the community, including messages, comments, files, images, and audio or video recordings
Engagement and activity data (e.g., logins, interactions with other members, content viewed, push and in-app notification preferences)

Section 3: Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal data under the following legal justifications:

Contractual necessity – When required to fulfill an agreement.
Consent – When you explicitly agree to data collection and processing (e.g., cookies, targeted ads, research participation, joining the CoLab Community).
Legitimate interests – When processing is necessary for business operations, research, or service improvements.
Legal compliance – When required by law.

Section 4: Market Research Conducted for Clients (Service Provider / Data Processor)

SimpsonScarborough conducts market research on behalf of clients. In these cases:

The client (e.g., university or organization) is the Data Controller and determines how data is collected and used.
SimpsonScarborough acts as a Service Provider / Data Processor and follows the client’s instructions.
Research participation is voluntary.
Where SimpsonScarborough processes respondent data, SimpsonScarborough is responsible for responding to requests for data access or deletion. Where the client manages respondent contact information, requests should be directed to the client.

Your Rights & Opt-Out Options for Client Research:

If you participated in a research study and want to access, modify, or delete your data, please contact SimpsonScarborough.
SimpsonScarborough will assist clients in responding to privacy requests where required by law.

How Survey Respondent Data Is Used:

Any materials provided to us by a SimpsonScarborough client are used solely for the purposes of conducting research studies, distributing incentives, and performing research analysis. These materials are not shared beyond what is necessary to fulfill those purposes and are never sold to third parties.
Our level of involvement with survey respondent data varies by engagement. In some cases, we assist the client in preparing their survey sample; in others, we manage survey distribution directly.
In certain engagements, SimpsonScarborough clients manage respondent contact information and survey distribution independently. In such cases, SimpsonScarborough may host the survey, a redirect end page, and perform data analysis. SimpsonScarborough’s privacy policy applies to any survey response data collected through our systems. For information about how contact information and other personal data is managed outside of the survey itself, respondents should refer to the client’s own privacy policy.

Data Retention for Client Research:

See Section 10

Section 5: Market Research Conducted by SimpsonScarborough (Data Controller)

SimpsonScarborough also conducts independent research to analyze industry trends and enhance higher education marketing.

This research is controlled by SimpsonScarborough, meaning we determine how data is collected and used.
We use research findings for reports, insights, whitepapers, and thought leadership.
Research participation is voluntary, and personal data is not shared without consent.

Your Rights & Opt-Out Options for SimpsonScarborough Research:

You may withdraw from research participation at any time by contacting SimpsonScarborough directly.
You can request access, corrections, or deletion of your research data by contacting us.

Section 6: Advertising & Marketing Services for Clients

SimpsonScarborough provides digital advertising and marketing services on behalf of clients, including universities and other organizations. When running client campaigns, we act as a Service Provider (CCPA) / Data Processor (GDPR) and follow the client’s instructions, and all state, regional, national, and international advertising and data regulations regarding data collection and processing.

How We Run Client Advertising Campaigns:

We manage and optimize digital advertising campaigns for our clients, which may include:

Google Ads, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), LinkedIn Ads, Snapchat, TikTok, direct publisher, and programmatic advertising
Retargeting and remarketing to re-engage users who have interacted with a client’s content
Cross-platform behavioral advertising to deliver personalized ad experiences
A/B testing and campaign analytics to improve advertising effectiveness

Third-Party Data Collection in Client Advertising

Client ads may use cookies, tracking pixels, and web beacons from third-party ad networks to measure campaign performance.
These third parties may collect, process, and store user data based on campaign interactions.

Your Privacy Rights for Client Advertising:

Google Ad Preferences: https://adssettings.google.com
Facebook Ad Preferences: https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences
LinkedIn Ad Preferences: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/advertising
Snapchat Ad Preferences: https://forbusiness.snapchat.com/advertising/start-snapchat-ads
TikTok ad Preferences: https://www.tiktok.com/privacy/ads-and-your-data/en

Data requests related to client advertising campaigns should be directed to the client who commissioned the campaign.

Section 7: Advertising & Marketing for SimpsonScarborough

SimpsonScarborough also conducts its own marketing and advertising to promote our services. In these cases, we act as a Data Controller and determine how personal data is collected and processed.

How We Advertise Our Services

We run digital marketing campaigns to promote SimpsonScarborough, which may include:

Google, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), and LinkedIn Ads promoting our services
Email marketing campaigns for thought leadership, events, and industry insights
Content marketing and website analytics to understand engagement with our brand

Use of HubSpot for Our Marketing

Email & Marketing Automation: We use HubSpot to send email campaigns, manage client communications, and analyze engagement data.
Lead Tracking: If you submit a contact form or engage with our website, HubSpot may track user behavior (e.g., email opens, clicks, page visits) to improve marketing outreach.

Your Opt-Out Rights for SimpsonScarborough Advertising:

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information (for CCPA/CPRA compliance)
Opt out of Google Ads: Google Ad Settings
Opt out of Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Ads: Facebook Ad Settings
Opt out of LinkedIn Ads: LinkedIn Ad Settings
Unsubscribe from emails – Click the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.

Section 8: CoLab Community Platform

SimpsonScarborough operates the CoLab, A Higher Ed Community (referenced as CoLab or CoLab Community), an online community for higher education chief marketing officers and senior marketing leaders. The CoLab Community is hosted on a third-party platform provided by CircleCo, Inc. (“Circle”), which acts as our Service Provider and Data Processor for the community. This Section 8 describes how personal data is collected, used, and shared in connection with your participation in the CoLab Community, and supplements the disclosures elsewhere in this Privacy Policy.

Roles and Responsibilities

SimpsonScarborough is the Community Owner and Data Controller for the CoLab community.
Circle hosts the community, stores the data, and provides the underlying technology, security, and infrastructure as our Service Provider/Data Processor.
Your access to and use of the CoLab Community is governed by the CoLab Terms of Service, which are incorporated by reference into this Privacy Policy with respect to your participation in the community.
The CoLab Terms of Service are available at: https://www.colab.community/terms

Information We Collect Through the Community

Account registration: name, email address, password, and other contact information you provide when you create your account.
Profile information: job title, organization, photo, biography, and other details you choose to share with the community.
User Content: posts, comments, files, images, and audio or video recordings you submit to the community.
Messages between members: when you communicate with other members through the community, including direct messages, we and Circle receive the content of those messages and information about them (such as when they were sent or received).
Engagement and activity data: logins, interactions with other members, content viewed, and notification preferences.
Automatically collected technical data: IP address, device identifiers, internet service provider, browser type, language, operating system, referring web page, pages visited, links clicked, time spent in the community, and similar usage information. Circle and its analytics partners may also use session replay and similar tools to record mouse movements, scrolling, clicks, and keystroke activity.
Geolocation: approximate location derived from your IP address. You can stop the collection of precise device location at any time through your device’s operating system settings.
Payment information: if you make a purchase through the CoLab community (for example, membership fees or event registration), your payment information (such as credit card details) is collected and processed by a third-party payment processor on our behalf. SimpsonScarborough does not store full payment card details.
Information from third-party sources: if you log in to the community through a social media account or connect a social account to your community profile, certain information from that account will be shared with us in accordance with the privacy settings of that platform. We may also receive information about you from marketing partners, event sponsors, analytics providers, and other third parties that we work with.

How We Use Community Data

Provide, operate, maintain, and improve the CoLab Community and personalize your experience.
Process and maintain records of transactions and payments.
Send technical notices, updates, security alerts, and administrative messages.
Respond to comments, questions, and support requests.
Communicate with you about CoLab events, programs, resources, and related content.
Monitor and analyze usage trends and engagement to improve the community.
Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent activity, abuse, and violations of the CoLab Terms of Service.
Maintain records for internal administrative purposes and comply with legal obligations.
Sharing Community Data
With Circle: Circle processes community data on our behalf to host, secure, and operate the platform.
With other community members: content you post may be visible to other members based on the privacy settings of the space where you post it. Direct messages are visible to the intended recipient. Do not post information you do not want other members to see.
With service providers: we may share information with vendors who help us operate the community, such as payment processors, analytics providers, and email service providers.
With law enforcement and authorities: we may share information in response to lawful requests, legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of SimpsonScarborough, our members, or others.
Emergency disclosures: in rare circumstances where we reasonably believe a member is at imminent risk of serious harm, we may disclose limited information to emergency response services.
Change of control: in connection with any merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of business assets, member data may be transferred as part of the transaction.

Social Sharing Features

The CoLab Community may include social sharing features and integrated tools that allow you to share content or activity from the community with other social media platforms, or to bring content from those platforms into the community. When you use these features, the information you share is governed by the privacy practices and settings of the third-party platform involved. SimpsonScarborough does not control those third parties’ use of shared content. Review the privacy policies of those platforms before using social sharing features.

AI-Powered Features

The CoLab Community may include AI-powered features provided by Circle, operating on models from third-party providers such as OpenAI and AWS.
These features may process your personal data and User Content to generate responses and enhance your experience within the community.
Your personal data and User Content are not used to train, fine-tune, or improve any external AI models.
Data processed by AI model providers is not stored, retained, or logged by those providers.

Cross-Border Data Transfers

The CoLab Community is hosted in the United States. If you access the community from outside the United States, including from the European Union or United Kingdom, your personal data will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. By using the CoLab community, you consent to this transfer, storage, and processing.

Your Rights and Choices for CoLab Community Data

Update or delete your profile information at any time from within the community.
Request access to, correction of, or deletion of your community data by contacting us using the information in Section 19 below.
Manage push notifications, in-app notifications, and email notifications through your account or device settings.
Stop precise device location collection at any time through your device’s operating system settings.
Unsubscribe from promotional emails using the link in any such email. You will continue to receive administrative messages related to your account.
Terminate your CoLab account at any time using the mechanism provided in the community. Upon termination, your access to the community will end and certain User Content may no longer be available to you, as further described in the CoLab Terms of Service. We may retain certain information after account termination as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

Section 9: Third-Party Data Sharing & Compliance

We work with third-party service providers that collect and process personal data, including:

Google Analytics, Meta Pixel (website tracking & ad performance)
Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads (advertising & targeting)
HubSpot (Manages email marketing, CRM, and lead tracking)
Qualtrics (survey distribution & research tools)
Circle (CircleCo, Inc. hosts the CoLab Community and processes related account data and User Content)
Third-party payment processors (processes payments made through the CoLab Community and HubSpot)

We do not sell personal data, but we may share data for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Section 10: Data Retention

SimpsonScarborough retains personal data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with our legal and contractual obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Retention periods vary by data type and purpose of processing:

Client research data: retained for the duration of the project. Any personally identifiable information is deleted after project completion unless the client requests otherwise (see Section 4).
SimpsonScarborough-controlled research data: retained for the duration of the active study and a reasonable period thereafter to support analysis and longitudinal work. Aggregated or de-identified data may be retained indefinitely.
CRM and lead data: retained while you are an active contact, customer, or prospect, and for a reasonable period afterward. Data may be deleted or anonymized after extended periods of inactivity.
Website and analytics data: retained for up to 26 months in identifiable form and longer in aggregate or de-identified form.
Advertising engagement data: retained per our agreements with advertising platforms and for as long as needed to evaluate campaign performance.
CoLab Community data: retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after account closure, subject to the CoLab Terms of Service.
Job applicant data: retained for the duration of the recruitment process and a reasonable period thereafter.

We may retain data longer when required by law, to defend or assert legal claims, or to comply with regulatory obligations. When personal data is no longer needed, we delete or de-identify it.

Section 11: Your Rights

Your Privacy Rights Include:

Access & Correction – Request your data.
Deletion Requests – Request data removal where applicable.
Opt-Out of Targeted Advertising – Use opt-out tools listed above.
Opt-Out of Survey Invitations – Use the opt-out link provided in our survey invitation
CoLab Community – Update profile information from within the community or request data deletion by contacting us.

To exercise your rights, contact: [email protected]

Section 12: California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

This section provides additional information for California residents about your rights and our practices under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).

Categories of Personal Information We Collect

In the past 12 months we may have collected the following categories of personal information from California residents:

Identifiers (e.g., name, email address, phone number, IP address)
Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (e.g., name, contact information, employment information)
Commercial information (e.g., professional history, transaction history within the CoLab Community)
Internet or other electronic network activity (e.g., browsing history, search history, interactions with our website and the CoLab Community)
Geolocation data (e.g., approximate location derived from IP address)
Professional or employment-related information
Inferences drawn from the above to create a profile reflecting your preferences and characteristics

Sources of Personal Information

We collect this information directly from you, from your interactions with our website and the CoLab Community, from third-party service providers and marketing partners, and through cookies and similar tracking technologies.

Purposes for Collection

See Sections 2, 3, and 8 above for the purposes for which we collect and use personal information.

Categories of Personal Information Disclosed

We may disclose the categories listed above to service providers, advertising partners, and other third parties as described in Sections 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Sale or Sharing of Personal Information

SimpsonScarborough does not sell personal information for monetary consideration. However, our use of advertising cookies and similar technologies for cross-context behavioral advertising may constitute “sharing” under the CPRA. California residents have the right to opt out of this sharing. See Sections 6 and 7 for opt-out tools.

Sensitive Personal Information

If we collect sensitive personal information (such as precise geolocation, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, health information, or sexual orientation), we use it only for purposes permitted by law. You have the right to direct us to limit our use of sensitive personal information.

Your California Rights

Right to know: request the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
Right to delete: request deletion of personal information we have collected from you.
Right to correct: request correction of inaccurate personal information.
Right to opt out of sale or sharing: opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
Right to limit use of sensitive personal information: direct us to limit our use of sensitive personal information.
Right to non-discrimination: not be discriminated against for exercising any of your rights.

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise your rights, contact us using the information in Section 19. We will verify your identity before responding. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. We will respond to verifiable requests within the timeframe required by law.

Section 13: Privacy Rights in Other US States

Residents of Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Iowa, Tennessee, Indiana, Delaware, New Hampshire, Maryland, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and other states with comprehensive privacy laws may have additional rights, which can include:

The right to confirm whether we process personal data and to access that data
The right to correct inaccurate personal data
The right to request deletion of personal data
The right to obtain a portable copy of personal data
The right to opt out of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, and certain forms of profiling

Specific rights and procedures vary by state. To exercise these rights, contact us using the information in Section 19. We will verify your identity before responding and will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to appeal our decision and to contact your state’s attorney general.

Section 14: Universal Opt-Out and Global Privacy Control

Some web browsers and browser extensions support a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal that automatically communicates a user’s preference to opt out of the sale and sharing of personal information. SimpsonScarborough recognizes valid GPC signals as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for residents of California, Colorado, Connecticut, and other states that require us to honor such signals.

You can learn more about GPC and how to enable it at https://globalprivacycontrol.org.

Section 15: Children’s Privacy

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 years old without parental consent. If you believe we have collected such data, please contact us for removal.

The CoLab Community is intended for users 18 years and older. We do not knowingly permit anyone under 18 to register for or use the CoLab Community.

Section 16: Marketing & Communication Preferences (CAN-SPAM)

SimpsonScarborough CRM Opt-Out:

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails via the link provided in any email.
If you want to remove your data from our CRM (HubSpot) or from CoLab Community (Circle), you may contact us at [email protected] to request deletion.

Section 17: External Links and Third-Party Sites

Our website, the CoLab Community, and our communications may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications that are not operated or controlled by SimpsonScarborough. We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of use of these third-party properties, and the inclusion of any link does not constitute endorsement by SimpsonScarborough.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of any third-party site or service you visit through a link from our website, the CoLab Community, or our communications.

Section 18: Data Security

SimpsonScarborough uses commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the personal information we collect and process. These measures include access controls, encryption where appropriate, and ongoing monitoring of our systems.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your personal data, and any transmission of personal information to us is at your own risk.

If you believe your data has been compromised or that there has been unauthorized access to your account, please contact us promptly using the information in Section 19.

Section 19: Contact Information

Email us at: [email protected]

Submit a request: Consumer Data Privacy Request

Mailing address: 2000 Duke Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314