Meet An Indie Agency: Yes&

Nearly 40 years of positivity and excellent work

We all know that agency life requires a certain caliber of creativity to succeed. But how does that work when your client is a national flood insurance program or the U.S. Mint?

IAN spoke with Yes&’s Chief Operating Officer, Zihla Salinas – an industry legend in her own right – and, as you can imagine by their name drawn from improv technique, it turns out this mid-sized creative and marketing agency based in the D.C. area is pretty great at stepping up to tremendous challenges and exploring all possibilities with an open mind. When your clients range from government entities, educational institutions and prominent associations, finding ways to improve the world is a natural default.

As one of the best in the biz, Salinas brought the energy, broke down what makes the nearly 40-year-old agency so special (positivity and patience are huge factors) and dropped some cool tidbits about the agency’s client roster. (For instance, did you know there’s an association for associations?)

Read on to learn more about Yes&, and get a good endorphin hit from watching the video. We promise it’ll make you feel hopeful that somewhere in the D.C. area…there is a happy place. And it’s filled with hella smart and talented people!

Watch the interview

Agency stats

Founded: 1986
Location: Alexandria, VA

What the agency is best known for

While they also work with higher education institutions, including universities, and associations, including the American Heart Association, Yes& is best known for its work with the federal government. More specifically, Salinas says, the agency serves “We the people,” taking complex messages and programs and communicating them in ways that are easily comprehensible and attractive to the American people.

The agency’s core strengths

The 200-person strong agency is “exceptional” at traditional advertising and media, has “best in class” digital capabilities that allow them to build out dynamic platforms for clients, and has a top-tier communications and PR operation that effectively gets crucial messaging out to the people. (Clutch expertise to have, especially during hurricane season, and especially this year, during which misinformation ran rampant and threatened to cripple life-saving efforts for impacted Americans.)

Why the agency loves being indie

Salinas tells IAN that being independent essentially defines the agency’s culture. It allows the team to be agile and nimble, enabling them to “focus on the work” and how they bring it to market, as opposed to worrying about “reporting and spreadsheets.”

Why brands should work with this agency

Brands in search of sharp problem-solving to handle “challenging situations” will find themselves in very capable hands with the Yes& team. They prioritize being strategy-focused and business-minded in their approach to crisis communications and executing tasks with optimistic perspectives that clients find refreshing and, at times, a much-needed reprieve.

Why talent should put this agency on their list

According to Salinas, talent who thrive best in remote work environments will rejoice in learning the agency has “invested heavily” in systems and processes that enable talent to effectively work remotely across 22 states. The agency’s culture is also lauded by current talent for its “warmth,” welcoming nature and sense of freedom afforded to the team. They’re also big on developing talent (they’ve hired 80% of their interns), so if you’re looking for an invaluable experience that fosters growth and supports positivity and a work-life balance, say “Yes,” and…hit the links below to learn more about how to work with Zihla and her team!