Why we don’t always say yes…and why that’s a good thing
If you know Clearbox, you know we’re a friendly bunch.
We bring snacks to meetings, remember your favourite Oasis song, and never judge the playlist in your office (mostly). We genuinely care about our clients and want them to succeed.
But sometimes, in order to achieve this, we say no.
Not because we’re difficult.
Not because we’re anarchists.
Not because we’ve got a secret ‘no’ quota to hit each month (definitely not a thing). We say no because we’re partners to our clients. Not rubber stampers.
After 12 years of creating impactful PR and communications campaigns that spanned continents and time zones, we’ve learned many things.
But one thing that stands out is this. The best client/agency relationships are built on trust, honesty, and the occasional gentle prod in a better or different direction.
It’s not our job to be a nodding dog. We’re trusted advisors.
Our clients are brilliant and they come to us with ideas all the time. First thing we do is listen. Carefully. We want to understand what’s behind the ask. Is it a bold campaign to shift perception? A moment of reactive comms? The board’s request? Or maybe it’s an idea that sounded great during a discussion in the pub at 11pm the night before (we’ve all been there)
Whatever the idea, we approach it with respect and curiosity. But then we do what we’re paid to do - we ask questions. We pressure test. We take it apart and rebuild it, if needed. And if we don’t believe it will land well with media, consumers, or the client’s audience, we’ll say so.
But here’s the important bit.
We NEVER say no without offering an alternative.
“No” on its own is banned round these parts.
However. “No, but we think this would work better and here’s how we’d do it...” is how we roll.
Saying no (politely) is part of our job
This next bit is hypothetical. Sort of.
Let’s say that we once had a brand ask us to help launch a new product with a flash mob.
In 2024.
If you watch our TikTok, you’ll know that we love a spontaneous dance routine as much as the next communications agency, but even back in 2012, this idea was a stretch. If this did happen (wink emoji), we’d have politely said no. But we wouldn’t have stopped there. We would have explained why it wouldn’t work - the potential backlash, the logistical mess, the fact that flash mobs aren’t a vibe anymore - and we’d propose a fresh, relevant idea that delivered the same energy in a way the audience would actually connect with.
The client would have listened. We would have launched. It would have worked.
OK, so that did happen. Guess what? The client thanked us.
Why? Because they didn’t want ‘yes’ for the sake of yes. They wanted impact. Results. Strategy. And, deep down, they wanted someone to tell them the truth.
Saying yes to everything can be a problem
We’ve seen what happens when agencies become yes machines. It can lead to campaigns that don’t land, budgets that evaporate, and photoshoots that end up with people holding large, ridiculous props.
At Clearbox, we protect our clients from that. We don’t do it to be awkward. We do it because we care.
We’re not hired to nod in agreement. We’re hired to make an impact and get results. Sometimes that means suggesting a change of course. Other times it means gut-checking an idea before it becomes the runaway train you can’t get a hold of. Occasionally, this means pressing pause altogether.
What saying no really means
No means we’re paying attention.
No means we’ve thought about your brand, your goals, your audience, and your reputation. It means we’ve weighed up the risks and the rewards. It means we care enough to challenge.
At this point, we should flag that we do we say yes a lot. Yes to big ideas, bold storytelling, yes to ice cream sprinkle mosaics that make the news all over the world and yes to beautifully messy brainstorms. But when we say no, it’s always no with a plan. No with a pivot. No with a solution.
That’s what being a communications partner looks like.
We’re all in this together (High School Musical style)
Our clients hire Clearbox because they want a team who’s in it with them. Not just during the glossy campaign highs, but during the tricky ‘how do we say this?’ moments too. When something hits the headlines unexpectedly. When a launch falls flat. Or when someone accidentally posts a personal meme from the brand’s TikTok account.
In those moments, you don’t need a yes-person. You need a pro.
You need someone who’s been in the room for the big decisions, has run global campaigns, and knows how to tell your story in a way that sticks. You need a partner who can say: “Let’s take a breath. Here’s what we do.”
That’s who we are.
So no, we won’t always say yes. Sometimes we’ll say no, and we’ll give you an alternative idea.
And you’ll always be glad we did.
Two
Not every brand needs to join the conversation
Here’s a wild thought: sometimes, saying nothing is the smartest comms move you can make.
Now, that might sound odd coming from us. After all, we’re in the business of storytelling, right? But with 12 years of watching brands talk themselves into trouble - and out of relevance - we’ve learned a golden rule:
Just because everyone else is talking, doesn’t mean you have to.
At Clearbox, our strategic approach for our clients is built around thoughtful communications. That means knowing when to speak - and just as importantly, when not to.
Under Pressure (to say something)
We get it. The internet never sleeps. Other cliches are available. Twitter (sorry, X) is a rolling news feed, Instagram is a commentary carousel, and TikTok is…well…TikTok. The temptation to jump into the conversation, or on the latest trend, meme, or moment is real.
Clients sometimes come to us asking, “Should we post about this?” or “Everyone else is commenting, do we need to?”
Our answer is usually a question in return. “What do you actually have to say?”
If the answer is “not much,” then it’s okay to keep your powder dry.
Sometimes, silence is a strategy.
John Lydon famously sings ‘anger is an energy’ but if you put ‘silence is a strategy’ into the same bit of music, it makes sense.
There’s a big difference between being quiet and being absent. Choosing not to jump on every trending topic doesn’t mean your brand is asleep. It means you’re being deliberate about your communications.
We’ve seen it time and time again- brands pushing out statements, memes or reactive posts because they feel like they have to. But if it’s not aligned with your values, tone of voice or audience? It sticks out like a sore thumb.
And worse, if it’s tone deaf, opportunistic or just plain unnecessary then it can do more damage than saying nothing at all.
Trust us, we’ve sat in war rooms during comms crises where the first instinct was to “get something out fast.” But the best results came when we took a beat, thought it through, got the information we needed and spoke when we had something meaningful to add.
You don’t need to write War & Peace
When you do have something to say, don’t feel like you need to draft a manifesto.
In 2025, attention spans are shorter than ever. (Seriously, you’re still reading this? You deserve a treat. Come to our office and collect your prize.) Often, the most effective comms are the most concise.
A simple, well-crafted sentence WILL land far better than a 700-word statement. A punchy caption can say more than a lengthy blog. A clear, confident comment can steer a conversation more effectively than a reactive ramble.
At Clearbox, we help our clients cut through the noise. We distil the key message, find the right tone, and deliver it in a way that lands.
Because it’s not about shouting the loudest. It’s about being heard.
The power of pause
Sometimes, a pause is the most powerful thing you can do. Pause to listen. Pause to reflect. Pause to plan your response, instead of diving in, head first.
We once had a client recently who was eager to jump into a trending news story. It was everywhere, and their competitor had just posted something about it. But we looked at the bigger picture was it relevant to their brand? Could they say something unique? Would their audience care? Did the issue being discussed actually impact them?
The answer was no.
So we advised them to hold. And a few hours later, the story took a sharp turn, and the brands who had jumped in early were left scrambling.
Sometimes, sitting it out is a win.
Meaning beats momentum
It’s easy to feel FOMO when every brand is piling in on a news story or a cultural moment. But if it doesn’t align with your brand values, or if you’re stretching to make it relevant, it won’t resonate. Worse, it could confuse your audience or dilute your credibility. Example – most of the brands who’ve tried to jump on the Oasis bandwagon.
This doesn’t mean you can’t ever have fun with trends or jump into the right conversations. It just means you need to be strategic. Know when to get involved. Know when to let it pass. And know that both choices are valid when made for the right reasons.
That’s where we come in
At Clearbox, we don’t just manage communications. We help shape them.
We’re not interested in chasing noise for the sake of it. We’re here to build reputations, manage risk, and craft messages that actually matter. We do this through detailed strategy.
Whether it’s helping you decide when to speak up, how to frame your voice, or when to keep things simple, we’ve got the experience, and the instincts, to guide you.
We’ve helped clients through product recalls, viral social media posts, business issues, and unmissable opportunities. And through it all, our approach stays the same:
Be thoughtful. Be relevant. Be ready.
Not every brand needs to join every conversation.
But when you DO speak, then make it count.
Three
You don’t need coverage. You need credibility.
We believe that strategic media relations beats scattergun PR every single time. Here’s why.
Let’s be honest. Getting press coverage is one of the many things a communications agency does in 2025, but it’s still seen as the holy grail in PR. It’s the first thing some clients ask for, and the first thing many agencies promise.
But here’s the thing.
Coverage without credibility is just noise. At Clearbox, we believe in something far more valuable - strategic visibility in the right places, with the right messages, for the right audience.
When you’re featured where it counts and by people who matter, it builds brand trust, drives action, and moves your business forward. That’s the Clearbox approach.
Coverage vs. credibility – what’s the difference?
We’ve run press offices for some of the biggest brands in Ireland and the UK. And time and again, we’ve seen the same pattern: brands chasing coverage volume like it’s a scoreboard.
Ask yourself this question. What’s more powerful? 20 low-value mentions buried on clickbait sites, or one thoughtful, on-message piece in a top-tier title read by your target audience?
Credibility is earned, and it starts with knowing which voices influence your audience and which platforms shape perception. At Clearbox, we don’t chase headlines for the sake of a headline. We build reputations.
Media relations is a strategy, not a machine gun
It’s easy to blast out a press release to every journalist in the land and call it PR. But real results come from precision.
We tailor our media outreach. Always.
Our team doesn’t just know THE media.
We know YOUR media.
The journalists who shape conversations in your space. The editors who decide what gets published. The podcast producers who can get your spokesperson into the right ears.
We read what they write. We listen to what they produce. We understand their beats, their deadlines, their audiences. And we pitch with purpose.
That’s not luck. That’s strategy.
What does strategic media relations look like?
Here’s how we do it
1. We start with your audience, not your announcement.
Who are you trying to influence? Where do they go for news, inspiration, or advice? What do they trust? We shape your media strategy around that insight, not just what’s trending.
2. We identify the RIGHT media, not just ANY media.
Your story might be perfect for The Irish Times, but irrelevant for a consumer magazine. Or maybe you need a niche trade title that gets passed around boardrooms. We’ll tell you where your story belongs, and how to get it there.
3. We craft tailored pitches, not generic releases.
Journalists get hundreds of emails a day. Ours stand out because they’re thoughtful, relevant and clearly written. We tell the right story to the right person at the right time.
4. We prioritise depth over frequency.
One strong piece that drives LinkedIn engagement, stakeholder interest and sales is far more valuable than dozens of forgettable mentions. We focus on impact, not inbox noise.
5. We measure what matters.
Reach and impressions are fine, but we go deeper. Who read it? Who reacted? What did it do for your brand? Our post-campaign reports are packed with insight, not fluff.
We’ve seen this work for more than a decade
A client once asked us to get them “as much coverage as possible” for a product launch. We could have delivered a long list of mentions on random websites with no real audience. But instead, we secured a beautifully written feature in a leading trade title, a demo with a top website in their sector and a briefing on Zoom with a top tier journalist and the head of product.
Result? Their board noticed. Their team noticed. And so did potential customers.
Another time, a challenger FMCG brand wanted ‘national coverage’ across Northern Ireland. We advised a smarter route: targeting retail trade press and regional radio in key distribution areas. The result? Real-world sales uplift and retailer engagement. That’s what credibility does.
Being seen well beats being seen everywhere
This is the strategic thinking that sets Clearbox apart. We’re not just media-friendly, we’re media-fluent. We know how journalists think, how newsrooms operate, and how your brand can earn its place in the conversation.
Real reputation building isn’t about appearing in every article under the sun. It’s about showing up in the right ones. Being trusted. Being consistent. And being remembered.
What do you actually need? Here’s what you don’t need…
You don’t need blanket coverage.
You don’t need your name on every page.
You don’t need “any” mention - you need the right one.
You need strategy. You need precision.
You need credibility.
And at Clearbox, that’s exactly what we deliver.
