MONARCH

Legal Documents

Privacy Policy  &  Terms of Service

Effective date: 1 September 2026  ·  Last updated: September 2026

Contents

PART A  Privacy Policy

  A1    Introduction

  A2    Who We Are

  A3    Personal Information We Collect

  A4    How We Use Your Personal Information

  A5    How We Share Your Personal Information

  A6    Storage and Security

  A7    How Long We Keep Your Personal Information

  A8    Your Rights

  A9    Cookies and Tracking Technologies

  A10   Marketing Communications

  A11   Children's Privacy

  A12   Changes to This Privacy Policy

  A13   Complaints and Contact

PART B  Terms of Service

  B1    Plain English Summary

  B2    Acceptance of Terms

  B3    Description of Services

  B4    Account Registration and Security

  B5    Subscriptions and Payment

  B6    Acceptable Use

  B7    Intellectual Property

  B8    AI Features and Campaign Performance

  B9    Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

  B10   Indemnification

  B11   Termination

  B12   Modifications

  B13   Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

  B14   General Provisions

PART A

Privacy Policy

How Monarch collects, uses, stores and protects your personal information.

A1. Introduction

Monarch ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of all individuals who interact with our platform, website, and communications. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR").

By submitting your information via our waitlist form, using our platform, or subscribing to our communications, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree with the terms of this policy, please do not submit your personal information to us.

A2. Who We Are

Monarch is a digital advertising platform operated by The Social Butterfly, a South African digital marketing agency. For the purposes of POPIA, we are the Responsible Party in respect of your personal information. For the purposes of GDPR (where applicable), we are the Data Controller.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us at:

A3. Personal Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

A3.1 Information you provide directly

When you register your interest via our waitlist form, we collect:

• Full name

• Email address

• Phone number

When you use the Monarch platform (upon launch), we may additionally collect:

• Business name and industry

• Billing and payment information (processed securely by our payment provider)

• Google Ads account information (where you grant us access)

• Campaign preferences, goals and budget information

A3.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

• IP address and approximate geographic location

• Browser type and device information

• Pages visited and time spent on site

• Referring website or source

This information is collected via cookies and similar tracking technologies. Please refer to Section A9 (Cookies) for more detail.

A3.3 Information from third parties

We may receive information about you from third-party platforms and tools we use to operate our business, including Shopify (for form submissions and email), Substack (for newsletter subscriptions), and Google (where you connect your Google Ads account to our platform).

A4. How We Use Your Personal Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

A4.1 Waitlist and pre-launch communications

• To register your interest and add you to our early access waitlist

• To send you updates about Monarch's development and launch timeline

• To provide behind-the-scenes content and founder communications via email and Substack

• To notify you of exclusive early access and launch pricing

A4.2 Platform operation (upon launch)

• To create and manage your Monarch account

• To build, manage and optimise your Google Ads campaigns

• To process your subscription payments

• To provide AI-powered campaign guidance and recommendations

• To send transactional and service-related communications

A4.3 Legal and compliance purposes

• To comply with applicable laws and regulations, including POPIA and GDPR

• To enforce our Terms of Service

• To prevent fraud and protect the security of our platform

A4.4 Lawful basis (GDPR)

For users in the European Union or European Economic Area, our lawful basis for processing your personal information is:

• Consent — where you have explicitly opted in to receive communications from us

• Legitimate interests — for improving our platform and services, provided your interests and rights do not override ours

• Contract — where processing is necessary to perform a contract with you

• Legal obligation — where we are required to process your data by law

A5. How We Share Your Personal Information

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to any third party for their own marketing purposes. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

A5.1 Service providers and operators

We share your personal information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our platform and delivering our services. These include:

All third-party service providers are contractually required to process your personal information only on our instructions and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

A5.2 Legal requirements

We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental authority, or where we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

A5.3 Business transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition or sale of all or part of our business, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on our website before your personal information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

A6. Storage and Security of Your Personal Information

Your personal information is stored on secure servers located in South Africa and/or within the infrastructure of our third-party service providers, which may include servers located outside of South Africa. Where personal information is transferred outside of South Africa, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with POPIA and, where applicable, GDPR.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or alteration. These measures include:

• Encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS)

• Access controls and authentication requirements

• Regular security assessments

• Staff training on data protection obligations

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

A7. How Long We Keep Your Personal Information

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Specifically:

• Waitlist information is retained until the platform launches and you create an account, or until you request deletion

• Subscriber and marketing data is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion

• Platform account data is retained for the duration of your subscription and for a reasonable period thereafter for legal and administrative purposes

• Financial and transactional records are retained for the period required by South African tax and financial legislation (generally five years)

When your personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

A8. Your Rights

A8.1 Rights under POPIA (all users)

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Be notified when we collect your personal information

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you

• Request correction of inaccurate, irrelevant or outdated personal information

• Request deletion of your personal information (subject to certain exceptions)

• Object to the processing of your personal information

• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa

A8.2 Additional rights under GDPR (EU/EEA users)

If you are located in the EU or EEA, you additionally have the right to:

• Data portability — to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format

• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent

• Restriction of processing in certain circumstances

• Not be subject to solely automated decision-making, including profiling, which produces legal or similarly significant effects

• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

A8.3 How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of the above rights, please contact us at joinmonarchads@gmail.com. We will respond to all legitimate requests within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

A9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience, analyse site traffic and understand how visitors interact with our content. Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit our website.

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies — necessary for the website to function correctly

• Analytics cookies — to understand how visitors interact with our site (e.g. Google Analytics)

• Marketing cookies — to track the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

A10. Marketing Communications

By submitting your details via our waitlist form, you consent to receiving marketing communications from Monarch, including launch updates, founder content, product news and promotional offers.

You may withdraw this consent at any time by:

• Clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send you

• Emailing us at joinmonarchads@gmail.com

• Updating your preferences via your Monarch account (upon platform launch)

Withdrawing your consent to marketing will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before your withdrawal, and will not affect our ability to send you transactional or service-related communications.

A11. Children's Privacy

Monarch is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18 years of age. If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal information from a minor, please contact us immediately at joinmonarchads@gmail.com and we will take steps to delete such information as soon as possible.

A12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements or other factors. When we make material changes, we will notify you by:

• Sending an email to the address you have provided

• Posting a prominent notice on our website

• Updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

A13. Complaints and Contact

A13.1 Contact us first

If you have any concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us in the first instance at joinmonarchads@gmail.com. We will do our best to resolve your concern promptly and fairly.

A13.2 Information Regulator (South Africa)

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:

A13.3 EU/EEA supervisory authority

If you are located in the EU or EEA and are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection supervisory authority in your country of residence or place of work.

PART B

Terms of Service

The terms governing your use of the Monarch platform and services.

B1. Plain English Summary

Before you read the full terms, here is a plain-English summary of the most important points. This summary does not replace the full terms below — please read those carefully.

B2. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "you", "your") and Monarch, operated by The Social Butterfly ("Monarch", "we", "us", "our"), governing your access to and use of the Monarch platform, website, waitlist, and all related services (collectively, the "Services").

By registering on our waitlist, creating an account, or accessing any part of our Services, you confirm that:

• You have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms

• You are at least 18 years of age

• You have the legal authority to enter into this agreement, whether on your own behalf or on behalf of a business entity

• If you are accepting these Terms on behalf of a business, you represent that you have the authority to bind that business to these Terms

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use our Services.

B3. Description of Services

B3.1 Pre-launch waitlist

Prior to the official launch of the Monarch platform, we operate a waitlist through which prospective users may register their interest and receive communications including:

• Early access notifications and launch updates

• Exclusive launch pricing information

• Behind-the-scenes product development updates

• Access to our Substack founder series

Registration on the waitlist does not constitute a binding agreement to subscribe to the Monarch platform, and does not guarantee early access or any specific pricing.

B3.2 Monarch platform (upon launch)

The Monarch platform is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) digital advertising platform that enables users to create, manage and optimise Google Ads campaigns with the assistance of artificial intelligence. The platform is offered across three subscription tiers:

The features and pricing applicable to each tier are set out on our website at https://monarchgroup.online/ and may be updated from time to time. We reserve the right to modify, add or remove features from any tier with reasonable notice to existing subscribers.

B3.3 Third-party platforms

Monarch integrates with third-party platforms including Google Ads. Your use of those platforms is subject to their own terms of service and policies. Monarch is not responsible for the terms, policies or availability of any third-party platform.

B4. Account Registration and Security

B4.1 Account creation

To use the Monarch platform, you must create an account by providing accurate, current and complete information. You agree to update your account information promptly if it changes.

B4.2 Account security

You are responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials

• All activity that occurs under your account

• Notifying us immediately of any unauthorised use of your account at joinmonarchads@gmail.com

Monarch will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to maintain the security of your account.

B4.3 One account per user

Each account is for a single user or business entity. You may not share your account credentials with any third party or create multiple accounts for the same entity without our prior written consent.

B5. Subscriptions and Payment

B5.1 Subscription model

Monarch operates on a month-to-month subscription basis. Your subscription renews automatically each month on the anniversary of your start date unless cancelled in accordance with Section B5.4 below.

B5.2 Pricing

Current subscription pricing is published on our website at https://monarchgroup.online/. All prices are listed in South African Rand (ZAR) and are inclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) where applicable. We reserve the right to change our pricing at any time, provided that:

• We give you at least 30 days' written notice of any price increase

• Any price increase will take effect at the start of your next billing cycle following the notice period

• Continued use of the platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the new pricing

B5.3 Payment processing

Payments are processed securely by our third-party payment provider. By subscribing, you authorise us to charge your nominated payment method on a recurring monthly basis. You warrant that you are authorised to use the payment method provided.

B5.4 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time by:

• Logging into your Monarch account and navigating to your subscription settings

• Contacting us at joinmonarchads@gmail.com

Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You will retain access to the platform until the end of the period for which you have paid. No partial refunds will be issued for unused portions of a billing period.

B5.5 No refund policy

All subscription payments are final and non-refundable. We do not offer refunds, credits or pro-rata adjustments for:

• Unused subscription periods following cancellation

• Periods during which you did not use the platform

• Dissatisfaction with campaign performance or results

• Downgrade from a higher tier to a lower tier mid-cycle

This no-refund policy is applied consistently and without exception. We encourage you to make use of any free trial period (where offered) to evaluate the platform before subscribing.

B5.6 Ad spend

Your Google Ads budget is separate from your Monarch subscription fee. Ad spend is paid directly to Google via your connected Google Ads account. Monarch does not hold, control or mark up your ad spend. You are solely responsible for managing your Google Ads budget and any charges incurred on your Google Ads account.

B5.7 Failed payments

If a payment fails, we will notify you and attempt to process the payment again. If payment remains outstanding after reasonable attempts, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the platform until payment is received.

B6. Acceptable Use

B6.1 Permitted use

You may use Monarch only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree to use the platform to create and manage legitimate advertising campaigns for products and services that you are legally authorised to advertise.

B6.2 Prohibited conduct

You must not use Monarch to:

• Advertise products or services that are illegal, fraudulent or deceptive

• Violate any applicable law, regulation or third-party rights

• Infringe any intellectual property rights

• Create campaigns that violate Google's advertising policies

• Engage in any conduct that could damage, disable or impair our platform or servers

• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of our platform or systems

• Reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble any part of the platform

• Use automated means to scrape, crawl or extract data from the platform

• Resell, sublicense or transfer access to the platform without our prior written consent

• Use the platform to advertise adult content, gambling, weapons, tobacco, illegal substances or any other category restricted under Google's advertising policies

B6.3 Consequences of breach

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account immediately and without notice if we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have breached this Section B6 or any other provision of these Terms. No refund will be issued in the event of termination for breach.

B7. Intellectual Property

B7.1 Monarch's intellectual property

All content, software, designs, trademarks, logos and other materials comprising or forming part of the Monarch platform ("Monarch IP") are owned by or licensed to Monarch and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms transfers any ownership of Monarch IP to you.

Subject to your compliance with these Terms and payment of applicable subscription fees, Monarch grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the platform for your own internal business purposes during the term of your subscription.

B7.2 Your content

You retain ownership of all content, data and materials that you upload or submit to the platform ("Your Content"). By submitting Your Content, you grant Monarch a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, process and display Your Content solely to the extent necessary to provide the Services to you.

You warrant that Your Content does not infringe any third-party rights and that you have all necessary rights and consents to submit it to the platform.

B7.3 Feedback

If you submit feedback, suggestions or ideas about the platform, you grant us an unrestricted, perpetual, royalty-free right to use that feedback in any manner without any obligation to you.

B8. AI Features and Campaign Performance

B8.1 AI-generated content

Monarch uses artificial intelligence to assist with campaign setup, keyword selection, ad copy generation and campaign optimisation. You acknowledge that:

• AI-generated recommendations and content are provided for guidance purposes only

• You are responsible for reviewing and approving all campaign elements before they go live

• AI-generated ad copy must comply with Google's advertising policies, which remain your responsibility to verify

• Monarch does not guarantee that AI-generated content will meet your specific requirements or expectations

B8.2 No guarantee of results

Monarch makes no representations, warranties or guarantees regarding the performance of your advertising campaigns. Campaign results depend on numerous factors outside our control, including but not limited to:

• Your industry, product or service category and competitive landscape

• Your advertising budget and bid strategy

• Seasonal trends and market conditions

• The quality and relevance of your landing pages and website

• Changes to Google's algorithms and advertising policies

Past performance of campaigns on the Monarch platform is not indicative of future results.

B8.3 Your responsibility

You remain solely responsible for all decisions made in connection with your advertising campaigns, including budget decisions, targeting choices and the content of your advertisements. Monarch acts as a tool and guide — final decisions and approvals rest with you.

B9. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

B9.1 Platform provided "as is"

The Monarch platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Monarch disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

We do not warrant that:

• The platform will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure at all times

• Any defects or errors will be corrected

• The platform or servers are free from viruses or harmful components

B9.2 Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by South African law, Monarch's total liability to you for any claims arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services shall not exceed the total subscription fees paid by you to Monarch in the three months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

In no event shall Monarch be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of revenue, loss of data or loss of goodwill, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

B9.3 Consumer Protection Act

Nothing in these Terms is intended to limit or exclude any rights you may have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. To the extent that any provision of these Terms conflicts with the CPA, the CPA will prevail.

B10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Monarch, The Social Butterfly, and their respective directors, employees, agents and contractors from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to:

• Your use of the platform in violation of these Terms

• Your Content or advertising campaigns

• Your violation of any applicable law, regulation or third-party right

• Any misrepresentation made by you in connection with your account or subscription

B11. Termination

B11.1 Termination by you

You may cancel your subscription and terminate your account at any time in accordance with Section B5.4. Upon termination, your access to the platform will cease at the end of your current billing period.

B11.2 Termination by Monarch

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account and access to the platform at any time, with or without notice, for any reason including but not limited to:

• Breach of these Terms

• Non-payment of subscription fees

• Conduct that we reasonably believe poses a risk to Monarch, other users or third parties

• A requirement to do so by law or regulation

In the event of termination by us for reasons other than breach, we will provide you with reasonable notice where practicable.

B11.3 Effect of termination

Upon termination of your account for any reason:

• Your licence to use the platform will immediately terminate

• You must cease all use of the platform

• We may delete your account data in accordance with our data retention policy

• Any outstanding subscription fees will remain payable

Termination does not affect any rights or obligations that have accrued prior to termination.

B12. Modifications to the Platform and Terms

B12.1 Platform changes

We reserve the right to modify, update, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the platform at any time. Where we make material changes that adversely affect your use of the platform, we will provide reasonable notice. Monarch will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuation of the platform.

B12.2 Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by email and by posting the updated Terms on our website with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must cancel your subscription and stop using the platform before the changes take effect.

B13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

B13.1 Governing law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa. You submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the South African courts in respect of any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms.

B13.2 Dispute resolution

In the event of any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, the parties agree to attempt to resolve the dispute in good faith through direct negotiation in the first instance. If the dispute cannot be resolved within 30 days of written notice, either party may refer the matter to formal legal proceedings.

B13.3 Consumer rights

Nothing in this Section limits your right to approach the National Consumer Commission, a consumer court, or any other regulatory body under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.

B14. General Provisions

B14.1 Entire agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy (Part A of this document), constitute the entire agreement between you and Monarch in relation to the Services and supersede all prior agreements, representations and understandings.

B14.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void or unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions.

B14.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by an authorised representative of Monarch.

B14.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. Monarch may assign these Terms or any of its rights or obligations hereunder to any affiliate or in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, without your consent.

B14.5 Force majeure

Monarch shall not be liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations under these Terms arising from causes beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, power failures, internet outages, government actions, or changes to Google's platforms or policies.

B14.6 Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

A14. Google API Services and Google Ads Data

Monarch uses Google API Services to allow authorised users to connect their Google Ads accounts to the Monarch platform.

When a user connects a Google Ads account, Monarch may access Google Ads account information, campaign data, ad group data, keyword data, conversion configuration, performance metrics, account status, billing readiness indicators where available, and related setup information needed to provide paid media setup, reporting, monitoring, optimisation recommendations, and approval-gated campaign management.

Monarch uses this data only to provide the services requested by the authorised user, including account setup, campaign structure recommendations, conversion tracking setup, reporting, performance monitoring, AI-assisted recommendations, and approval workflows.

Monarch does not sell Google user data. Monarch does not use Google user data for unrelated advertising purposes. Monarch does not allow AI or automation to directly perform spend-impacting actions without the approval controls configured in the platform.

Monarch may store Google Ads account identifiers, campaign configuration data, reporting data, conversion setup data, approval logs, and AI enrichment records in order to provide account history, audit trails, recommendations, and reporting.

Users may revoke Monarch's access at any time through their Google Account permissions or by contacting Monarch support. After access is revoked, Monarch will no longer be able to retrieve new Google Ads data from that account.

Monarch's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Monarch

Digital advertising, built for small business.