Sector

Advertising agencies: shredding client campaigns, briefings and archives

17 June 2026 · 7 min read · DeSnipperaar

An advertising agency of any size collects cabinets full of pitches, briefings, concept presentations, proofs and internal campaign evaluations over ten years. Much of it contains client-confidential information: market strategy, product launches, pricing, sometimes sensitive corporate data from client pitches that never even became a brief. How do you clear it out without breaching trust or damaging the brand?

What is in the archive?

• Pitches and briefings: client correspondence and strategy input for proposals.
• Concept presentations: design concepts, including those from rejected proposals.
• Production files: final campaign assets, supplier contracts.
• Client contracts and NDAs: typically kept for 7 years.
• Photo material and model releases: personal data on models and talent.
• Proofs and early variants: unused creative material.
• Press clippings and media coverage: for portfolio and case studies.

Retention periods for advertising agencies

Category	Period
Client contracts and invoices	7 years (tax)
Pitches that did not result in a brief	1 to 2 years
Concept presentations	2 to 3 years (portfolio relevance) or end of campaign
Model releases and talent rights	Licence term plus 2 years
Production correspondence	2 to 3 years after campaign ends
NDAs	Term plus 5 years (often set in the NDA itself)
Client marketing data	Per GDPR basis, often end of agreement plus 2 years

Rule of thumb: pitches that did not result in a brief should be removed as quickly as possible. They contain client-confidential strategy and have no contractual value.

Lost pitches and pitch material

An underappreciated risk: pitches for clients that did not go ahead often contain more sensitive information than briefs that did. The client shared market strategy, product launches or competitive advantages with the agency in the hope of being chosen. When the agency is not selected, that material should not sit around for years.

Recommended approach:

• Keep the final pitch presentation at portfolio quality (scanned, high-level).
• Destroy working correspondence and internal strategy documents within 1 year of rejection.
• NDA obligations continue to apply after destruction.

Client trust as a sales argument

Advertising agencies that actively nurture client trust can position destruction as a plus:

• "We destroy pitch material within 12 months of rejection."
• "Our archive policy limits exposure of your strategy to a fixed window."
• Mention in the NDA clause.
• Certificate on request for each client clear-out.

Promotional material and old branding

Alongside client campaigns there is also in-house promotional material: old branding, business cards from former colleagues, event banners. For an approach to that material, read destroying promotional material and business cards.

Digital flow

• Cloud working files in Adobe CC, Figma, Frame.io: archive or delete per project.
• Hardware with client material: laptops at replacement, read HDD shredding.
• USB sticks with deliverables; read disposing of USB sticks.
• External workstations at freelancers: contractual clause on data deletion.

Destruction method

• DIN P-4 as standard for paper (client-confidential).
• P-5 for pitches with particularly strategic data.
• On-site mobile destruction for client peace of mind.

Recommended rhythm

1. Half-yearly clear-out of archived pitches and briefings.
2. Annual clear-out of client files older than 7 years.
3. At end of project: targeted removal of working files.
4. End-of-year run for branded material from closed campaigns.

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Time to clear out the pitch archive? Email us via desnipperaar.nl to schedule.