Hello, is there anyone out there?

Ghosting means someone suddenly cuts off all communication without explanation. It usually happens in relationships, friendship, or even work situations. The person disappears, stops replying to messages, doesn’t pick up call, and essentially ‘vanishes’ as if they were a ghost.

There are endless ghosting incidents between agency, client and more. Here are just two real-life, first-person experiences paraphrased for publication….

CLIENT-AGENCY:

“This year has felt like a marathon of pitches. I have sat in more boardrooms, Zoom rooms, war rooms and last minute ‘can we just run through this one more time’ huddles than I can count. And with all that effort, one pattern has stood out more sharply than anything else: the ghosting percentage feels like it has hit an all-time high.

I have worked long enough in agency life to know that wins and losses fluctuate. Some months you feel like you are on a streak. Other months feel like you are taking punches in slow motion. We learn to take all that in stride. What I still cannot get used to is being ghosted. That part never gets easier.

Anyone who has ever worked in an agency knows this feeling. A new business pitch is not just a task. It is a full-scale operation. It demands energy you didn’t know you still had, focus that surpasses your attention span and optimism that somehow survives multiple rounds of revisions.

Every pitch begins with a spark of excitement. You imagine what the partnership could be. You imagine the work you could build together. Then comes the effort. And that effort is enormous.

When a pitch drops into the Inbox, the entire agency shifts its rhythm. We pour hours into understanding the brand. Sometimes hours turn into days, sometimes into weeks. We learn about industry category almost overnight until we can speak about it with the confidence of someone who has been living in it for years. We study how your competitors behave, how your customers behave, how the brand breathes. We decode the language and culture. We try to understand not just what the brand wants say but what needs to be said to move people.

Then we construct strategies from scratch, recommendations that are unique to the brand. We map out full comms plans, timelines, content strategies, media approaches, budgets and creative territories.

We align vendors, partners, production teams, tech teams. We rehearse presentations. We anticipate questions. We anticipate the unexpected. And we show up composed even when some of us have not slept, even when others are pushing through migraines or mini panic attacks, even when someone is quietly grieving something personal but still finds the strength to contribute. We show up with heart and professionalism because that is what agencies do. It is part survival, part passion and entirely driven by pride in the craft.

That is why the silence that follows is so crushing. After all the effort, when we ask for an update or feedback, the silence echoes. It sits in the Inbox like a reminder that the energy you invested might simply vanish without acknowledgement. No decision. No clarity. No closure. Just a quiet fade out. It is such a small thing to send a simple reply. And that is what stings the most.

Silence is not harmless. It communicates something. It sends a message. Silence signals a lack of respect for the time, the energy, the thinking and the care that went into the work.

People in agencies are resilient. We can handle pivots, delays, cancelled budgets, shifting priorities, or even the tough news that another agency was chosen. We can handle difficult instructions. We can handle brutal revisions. What we struggle with is silence.

Silence might feel easier for some clients because it avoids confrontation or discomfort. But silence creates more damage than a clear answer ever will.

When an agency is ghosted after a pitch, it affects morale. It makes people question their effort. It introduces hesitation the next time another pitch comes around. It drains the very passion that makes good work possible. A respectful “no” is ten times better than an indefinite silence.

Recently, my faith was restored a little. We pitched for a business we did not win. But the experience was excellent from start to end. The client kept me updated on WhatsApp. They replied promptly to emails. When I asked for feedback, they took the time to write thoughtful, constructive notes that actually helped us understand what they needed.

They supplied a proper written brief, something that feels like discovering treasure. They held a clarification meeting. They scheduled the pitch early. They gave reasonable timelines. They kept us updated. They closed the loop professionally. That is what a proper pitch process looks like. Even though we did not get the job, I would happily pitch to them again because the relationship was built on mutual respect.

That is the preview of a partnership. How a client behaves during the pitch tells you everything about how they will behave once you start working together. If they cannot communicate clearly when they want your best work, imagine what happens when real deadlines hit. But if they communicate with clarity, empathy and professionalism during the pitch, that is a sign that the working relationship will be built on solid ground.

If anything, it is a reminder that when you find clients who communicate respectfully, who provide clarity, who give proper briefs, who reply promptly, who value your thinking and not just your deck, those clients deserve your best.

I believe the industry can raise its standards. But it starts with behaviour. It starts with small actions. It starts with replying to an email. It starts with acknowledging effort. That acknowledgment does not cost anything, but it creates goodwill that lasts throughout the entire partnership.

This year has taught me many things. But one lesson stands above the rest. Silence is not neutral. It affects people. It shapes relationships. It influences culture. And it is entirely avoidable. We can choose to do better. We can choose to communicate clearly. We can choose respect.

Here is to raising the standard on both sides. Here is to partnerships that are built on transparency. Here is to clients who value the process and agencies who give their all. Here is to fewer ghost stories and more good stories. Here is to a better way forward for everyone who cares about this industry.”

EMPLOYER-RECRUIT:

“Last week, I experienced something that still sits oddly with me. We had a new hire scheduled to report for duty. Offer accepted. Start date agreed. The team was ready. Laptops prepared. Access cards arranged. People lined up for the welcome… 

Then came the silence.

No show. No text. No call. Nothing at all. It felt like the air went still.

I kept thinking there must be a reason. Maybe an emergency. Maybe a misunderstanding.

I waited for a message that never came.

This is not a commentary about generations or attitudes.

It is about the quiet consequences that most people never see. When the market is tightening and opportunities are fewer, every job matters. Companies are more deliberate with hirin, and every approved headcount carries weight.

When someone disappears on the first day without a simple message, it does more than disrupt workflow. It closes the door on someone who genuinely needed that opportunity.

There are people out there sending out hundreds of applications. Some are fresh graduates trying to find their footing. Some are parents balancing hope and responsibility. Some are talented individuals who would have embraced the role with full commitment.

A simple message like ‘I have changed my mind’,  or ‘I have accepted another offer’, or ‘I am unable to proceed’ would have released the role back into the market.

Someone else could have stepped in. Someone deserving. Someone ready.

Ghosting is not harmless. It has a human cost. It affects hiring teams, disrupts planning and, most importantly, denies another person a chance to move forward.

In a world where competition is high and trust is priceless, showing up is still a powerful advantage. Even saying no is better than saying nothing.”