Feedback at the end of an agency search is hard. Not unlike hiring a new employee—where after a time-consuming, energy-depleting, emotion-investing process, there is only one person who can fill the role. And for the person who came in second, a thoughtful, intentional conversation should occur.
 
A conversation that conveys respect for the person’s time, concrete feedback on why they weren’t ultimately offered the job and a reinforcement of the attributes, behaviors and skills that carried them so far into the process. This same type of conversation should happen with the finalists at the end of every agency search. No matter how difficult.
 
“Ghosting” agencies at any point in a search isn’t the right way to do business. But it’s an especially poor practice at the end of a process when an agency’s time, money and resources have already been spent.

https://adage.com/article/agency-news/agency-review-horror-stories-and-how-give-ghost/2350056