Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct Overview

This Code of Conduct explains the professional, ethical, operational, communication, privacy, marketing, and business standards expected by Forge Digital Marketing Group (“Forge,” “we,” “our,” or “us”).

Forge is a Massachusetts-based digital marketing agency serving B2B and enterprise clients. This Code of Conduct applies to Forge team members, contractors, vendors, partners, consultants, and others acting on behalf of Forge where applicable.

This Code is intended to support ethical business practices, respectful collaboration, truthful marketing, responsible data handling, secure execution, vendor readiness, and long-term trust.

1. The Forge Standard

Forge’s Code of Conduct is rooted in the Forge Standard: Strategy First, Measurable Growth, Transparent Reporting, Systems Over Guesswork, Secure Execution, and Relentless Refinement.

These values are not just brand language. They are intended to guide how Forge communicates, builds strategy, handles data, manages vendors, reports performance, treats people, and scales as a company.

Forge expects work to be done with discipline, professionalism, accountability, and respect for clients, vendors, team members, users, and the broader business community.

2. Ethical Business Practices

Forge expects business to be conducted honestly, fairly, lawfully, and professionally. Team members, contractors, vendors, and partners should avoid conduct that could damage trust, create conflicts, mislead clients, or expose Forge to unnecessary legal, ethical, or reputational risk.

Expected conduct includes:

• Acting with honesty and integrity
• Communicating clearly and professionally
• Respecting client, vendor, and team relationships
• Using accurate information when making business decisions
• Avoiding misleading claims or deceptive practices
• Protecting confidential and business-sensitive information
• Escalating issues instead of hiding problems
• Following applicable laws, policies, and contractual obligations

3. Respectful Workplace and Professional Conduct

Forge expects professional conduct in all business environments, including internal communications, client interactions, vendor conversations, digital channels, meetings, events, and online platforms.

Respectful conduct includes treating people with dignity, listening professionally, avoiding abusive language, honoring boundaries, communicating constructively, and working to resolve disagreements without intimidation, retaliation, or hostility.

Forge expects team members, contractors, vendors, and partners to contribute to a professional environment where people can do strong work without harassment, discrimination, bullying, threats, or mistreatment.

4. Anti-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Anti-Retaliation

Forge does not tolerate unlawful discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, retaliation, threats, intimidation, bullying, or abusive conduct in connection with Forge-related work.

This applies to conduct involving team members, applicants, contractors, vendors, clients, partners, and others involved in Forge business activities.

Concerns should be reported promptly so they can be reviewed and addressed appropriately. Forge expects concerns to be handled seriously, professionally, and without retaliation against individuals who raise good-faith concerns.

5. Client, Vendor, and Partner Conduct

Forge expects relationships with clients, vendors, partners, contractors, and service providers to be professional, honest, and aligned with ethical business standards.

Forge expects all parties involved in Forge-related business to:

• Communicate honestly and respectfully
• Honor agreed responsibilities and timelines where practical
• Protect confidential or business-sensitive information
• Avoid conflicts of interest or disclose them promptly
• Follow applicable laws and contractual obligations
• Avoid bribery, kickbacks, fraud, coercion, or deceptive conduct
• Respect privacy, security, and data handling expectations

Forge reserves the right to end or decline relationships that create unacceptable legal, ethical, operational, security, or reputational risk.

6. Marketing Integrity and Truthful Communications

Forge believes marketing should be strategic, creative, measurable, and truthful. Marketing materials, advertisements, website copy, reports, recommendations, testimonials, and case studies should not intentionally mislead audiences or make unsupported claims.

Forge expects marketing-related work to:

• Use truthful and supportable claims
• Avoid deceptive or unfair messaging
• Clearly represent offers, services, limitations, and expectations
• Use client approvals where required
• Avoid fake reviews, fake testimonials, or misleading endorsements
• Respect applicable advertising, email, privacy, and platform rules
• Separate strategy from speculation when presenting recommendations
• Report performance with clarity and context

Forge’s commitment to measurable growth must be paired with transparent reporting and responsible communication.

7. Confidentiality, Privacy, and Data Handling

Forge may handle business contact information, client details, campaign information, analytics data, CRM records, website form submissions, advertising account information, email data, reporting information, and other business-sensitive materials.

Forge expects team members, contractors, vendors, and partners to protect confidential information, use data only for authorized business purposes, avoid unnecessary collection or sharing, and follow applicable privacy, security, and contractual obligations.

Sensitive or confidential information should not be shared publicly, used for personal advantage, accessed without authorization, or disclosed to third parties without a legitimate business purpose and appropriate approval.

8. Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest may occur when personal, financial, business, or outside interests interfere with—or appear to interfere with—Forge’s best interests, client obligations, vendor decisions, or professional judgment.

Potential conflicts may include:

• Personal financial interests in a vendor or competing business
• Undisclosed referral arrangements or commissions
• Outside work that competes with Forge or a Forge client
• Using Forge information for personal advantage
• Favoring a vendor or contractor for personal reasons
• Accepting gifts or benefits that could influence business judgment

Potential conflicts should be disclosed promptly so Forge can review and address them appropriately.

9. Use of Company Resources and Systems

Forge resources, systems, accounts, files, credentials, software access, CRM tools, analytics dashboards, advertising platforms, email systems, and intellectual property should be used responsibly and for authorized business purposes.

Unauthorized access, misuse of credentials, sharing passwords, copying protected materials, deleting records without authorization, or using company systems for improper purposes is prohibited.

Forge expects digital tools and business systems to be handled with care, accountability, and secure execution.

10. Anti-Bribery, Gifts, and Fair Dealing

Forge does not tolerate bribery, kickbacks, fraud, extortion, improper payments, coercion, or deceptive business conduct.

Gifts, meals, entertainment, discounts, referrals, commissions, or other benefits should never be offered or accepted in a way that improperly influences business decisions or creates the appearance of improper influence.

Forge expects fair dealing with clients, vendors, partners, contractors, competitors, and the public.

11. Reporting Concerns

Forge encourages employees, contractors, vendors, partners, clients, and website visitors to report concerns involving unethical conduct, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, privacy issues, security concerns, conflicts of interest, misleading marketing, bribery, vendor misconduct, or violations of this Code.

Concerns can be reported using the contact information listed at the bottom of this page. Forge expects concerns to be reviewed professionally and addressed appropriately based on the facts, risk level, applicable law, and business context.

Forge does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who raise good-faith concerns.

12. Massachusetts Law and Workplace Standards

Forge is based in Massachusetts and recognizes the importance of workplace fairness, lawful business practices, professional conduct, and respectful communication.

Massachusetts law includes workplace protections against discrimination and harassment based on protected class status. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination provides information about workplace discrimination, harassment, and employer responsibilities.

Forge expects workplace and business conduct connected to Forge operations to be handled in a lawful, respectful, and professional manner.

Official Massachusetts resources: Massachusetts Workplace Discrimination Overview and Massachusetts Sexual Harassment Workplace Guidelines.

13. U.S. Federal Law and Business Conduct

Forge recognizes that federal law and federal guidance address topics such as workplace harassment, discrimination, truthful advertising, endorsements, consumer protection, privacy, and fair business practices.

Forge’s conduct standards are intended to support respectful workplace behavior, truthful marketing, transparent communication, responsible data handling, and professional operations.

For workplace harassment guidance, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission explains that harassment can be a form of employment discrimination and provides resources on prevention and response.

For advertising and marketing integrity, the Federal Trade Commission provides guidance on truthful advertising, endorsements, reviews, testimonials, influencer marketing, and avoiding deceptive or unfair practices.

Official U.S. federal resources: EEOC Harassment Guidance and FTC Advertising and Marketing Guidance.

14. Worldwide Business Standards

Forge may work with clients, vendors, contractors, platforms, and digital tools that operate across jurisdictions. Business conduct expectations may vary by country, region, industry, client requirements, vendor terms, and applicable law.

Forge expects ethical business conduct, respect for human dignity, truthful communication, privacy-conscious operations, and responsible vendor relationships regardless of geography.

Where international laws, client standards, or platform requirements apply, Forge aims to act in a reasonable, professional, and compliance-minded manner.

15. Accountability and Continuous Improvement

Forge treats this Code of Conduct as part of its broader trust and operating system. As Forge grows, this Code may be refined to reflect new services, team structures, vendors, client expectations, laws, platform requirements, and business risks.

A strong Code of Conduct helps Forge scale with professionalism, reduce confusion, protect clients, support vendor readiness, and build a culture where expectations are clear.

16. Related Legal and Trust Pages

Forge provides additional legal, privacy, cookie, accessibility, security, and ethical business information through the following website pages:

17. Updates to This Code of Conduct

Forge may update this Code of Conduct from time to time to reflect changes in our business, legal obligations, vendor relationships, internal practices, client expectations, marketing standards, reporting processes, or compliance-minded operations.

When updates are made, the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page will be revised. Continued use of the website after updates are posted means you accept the updated Code of Conduct.

18. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Code of Conduct or want to report a concern related to Forge business operations, contact us at: