The Unspoken Yes

Everyone talks about how agencies have become too afraid to say no to clients. But when did we stop defending our ideas, and why is nobody teaching the next generation how to do it?

In this episode of The Unspoken Yes, Roberto Platas explores why creative agencies struggle to push back, what happens when experience and creative judgement disappear, and why saying no is a skill every creative professional needs to learn.

You'll get five practical tips on how to say no to a client without losing the account or your job, from choosing your battles wisely to knowing when, how and in front of whom to challenge a decision.

Because saying no isn't about being difficult. It's about knowing what the work needs, and having the guts to stand behind it.

Have you ever had to say no to a client? Tell me about it at [email protected] or find me on LinkedIn at Roberto Platas.

In 2025, Cannes Lions stripped Brazilian agency DM9 of its Grand Prix after discovering the case study had been built on AI-manipulated images and results that were, let's say, creatively interpreted. The biggest scandal in the history of advertising's most prestigious festival exposed something everyone in the industry already knows but rarely says out loud: the campaign you make for your client and the case study you enter at the festival don't always tell the same story.

In this episode of The Unspoken Yes, I break down Cannes Lions' decision to require clients to officially sign off on their agencies' entries starting this year. A move that turns what used to be a straightforward two-party arrangement into something considerably messier: a three-way dynamic where someone, inevitably, ends up standing outside looking in.

Topics: Cannes Lions 2026 · advertising festivals · case studies · agency-client relationship · creative agencies · DM9 scandal · advertising awards · ad industry podcast · advertising ethics

Agencies sell creativity. It's on every website, every creds deck, every award speech. But when it's time to choose who runs the business, creativity suddenly becomes much less important.

In this episode of The Unspoken Yes I put a name to that contradiction. Why it exists, who benefits from it, and whether the leadership model this industry was built on still makes sense in a world where everything keeps changing.

I talk about the myth that creatives can't run businesses, the Peter Pan problem nobody wants to admit, and why the agencies doing the best work today are precisely the ones that have put creative leadership at the center of the business.

If you work in advertising, this episode will make you look at the industry differently.

You know the feeling when every idea dies before it hits the page? That's not a creative block. That's you getting in your own way, too soon.

In this episode, we get into why the more ads you've made, the harder it gets to start one. How that little voice shows up earlier every time. And why "stuck" usually just means you bailed before the idea got interesting.

We cover the classic traps: perfectionism, comparisonitis, the fear that this one won't be the one, and what to do when you're deep in a brief and every thought feels DOA.

If you've ever sat there convinced you've got nothing, only to realize later you didn't wait long enough, this one's worth your time.

Selling creative ideas used to be part of the craft. Today, it’s often harder than coming up with the idea itself.

Come with me to explore why selling creative ideas has become so difficult, what’s changed in client behavior and decision-making, and why talent alone no longer gets ideas approved.

This conversation is for creatives, strategists, and leaders who sense that something fundamental has shifted. From risk-averse clients and broken feedback loops to politics, process, and performative collaboration, the problem isn’t creativity. It’s how decisions are made, avoided, or quietly deferred.

In this episode of The Unspoken Yes, we start 2026 looking at why January feels heavier than it should, why creative resolutions often fail, and what actually works when your goals depend on processes you simply don't control.

Instead of big promises or motivational noise, this episode focuses on small and practical decisions that change how you experience work inside advertising agencies and creative careers.

Suscribe to the podcast for honest conversations about advertising, creative leadership, careers, and the decisions that rarely get discussed out loud.

I also share a bilingual newsletter on LinkedIn, called El Sí Invisible, where these conversations continue in writing.

Have you ever left an advertising meeting thinking "that went well"... and then nothing happened?

This first episode of The Unspoken Yes is a short introduction to the ideas behind the podcast, and to the kind of conversations we'll be having going forward.

Roberto Platas shares why silence, pauses, and what isn't said often matter more than the words themselves in advertising meetings, creative work, and leadership. Drawing from years of working across different countries and cultures, this episode sets the context for a series focused on reading rooms, understanding people, and navigating the invisible dynamics that shape ideas and decisions.

This is not a how-to episode, it's an invitation to start paying attention.

If you work in advertising, creativity, or leadership, The Unspoken Yes is a space to slow down, listen better, and understand what's really happening when no one says a word.

Subscribe to follow the series from the beginning.