I’ve been having relationship issues.

Breadcrumbed. Gaslit. Ghosted for days. Benched like a rookie no one bets on.

But honestly - why am I even calling this a relationship? This is a situationship.

And a lot of us agency folks are trapped in it.

With our clients.

See, I’m not asking to be love-bombed. This isn’t a toxic romance. 

All I need is… basic appreciation.

But somehow, even that seems like a premium feature.

Some clients give it. Sparingly. Almost like it’s coming out of their retainer.

In fact, I have a folder in my phone called ‘client praise’. I stopped updating it somewhere in 2023. Before that? It was full of screenshots:

‘Gud.’ (Apparently two extra o’s would’ve required approval.)
‘Nice work.’
‘Better.’

BREADCRUMBS.

Tiny dopamine hits that kept me crawling forward like some hungry, creative lab rat running the agency hamster wheel.

And that’s when I told myself: no more nibbles. Either feed me proper appreciation, or let me starve in peace.

Dear clients,

I get it - budgets are tight, and sure, you’d love a Cannes-worthy TVC magically repackaged as an Instagram Reel for INR 20K.

But praise? That costs you nothing.

Yet it’s worth everything to us.

Of all your professional relationships, the one you have with your agency is the most emotional. We’re not vendors. We’re creators. We trade in ideas, and ideas need energy. Emotional energy.

Sometimes all it takes is a two-minute call.

A well-written paragraph.

Or hey, an email with a single emoji. 😅

We’ll overthink it, screenshot it, share it in the team WhatsApp.

Because in this business? Validation is currency.

Do you know what appreciation does for me? It makes me want to create more. It makes me want to give you my 11th hour idea after pulling my eighth consecutive late night. Not for awards. Not for the production brag. But for that first level of human recognition. From you.

You’d be shocked at what that unlocks. Entire teams can run on that energy. Suddenly, you become ‘that client’—the one people fight to work for. I’ve seen it. Heard it whispered over agency coffee machines:

“Yaar, their team’s tough but nice. Appreciation bhi dete hain.”

So, no—I’m not asking you to sell me a lie. If you don’t like my work? Be honest. We creatives can take it. (We cry in private.)

But if you do?

Say it. Say it properly.

Because in the creative industry, praise isn’t an optional perk.

It’s the fuel.

The author is creative director, McCann Worldgroup.

This article first appeared in the August issue of Manifest, which can be purchased here.