Yes&

Bob Sprague

Founder & Managing Partner

Underdog

Yes& founder Bob Sprague didn't climb the traditional agency ladder; he built his own. Four decades ago, while peers cut their teeth at prestigious network agencies, Bob was composing film scores in Washington D.C., seemingly light-years from Madison Avenue. This musical foundation became his secret weapon. His background taught him that moving people requires more than clever copy—it demands orchestrating human connection.

Bob's core philosophy centers on Let's-Try-It-ism, a restless curiosity that refuses to settle for what works today. While competitors cling to proven formulas, he's built a culture treating setbacks as a viable path towards the next breakthrough. This isn't reckless experimentation. It's strategic evolution that keeps agencies relevant when the world shifts.

Most distinctively, Bob reimagined agency relationships entirely. Instead of positioning Yes& as another vendor, he transformed it into something rarer: creative confidant, strategic partner, and genuine advocate. This approach not only wins projects, it also builds loyalty that survives CMO changes and budget cuts. Bob's indie spirit isn't about rejecting convention for rebellion's sake. It's about recognizing that the most interesting solutions live in spaces between what everyone else is doing, and having the courage to explore those territories first.

While most agencies sell themselves on past campaign successes or famous alumni, Bob will be the first to tell you that he didn’t have any of that in his arsenal, focusing instead on proving they can solve problems others can't.

Furthermore, he doesn’t spend precious energy chasing consumer brands and "sexy" accounts. Yes& deliberately takes on "the hard ones" like government agencies, healthcare systems, IT providers. In short: clients with complicated messages that traditional agencies might avoid.

Bob has reimagined agencies as "idea factories" that transcend advertising to become integral to business strategy, touching "product design, customer experience, employee engagement" rather than just making ads. He's positioned Yes& strategically as a mid-sized agency, rejecting both the limitations of small boutiques and the bureaucracy of holding companies.

While most agencies pursue consumer brands with big budgets and straightforward messaging, Bob Sprague chose a different path. He built Yes& to specialize in complex challenges: healthcare systems with nuanced messages, government agencies with regulatory constraints, IT companies struggling to differentiate themselves.

This focus on difficult assignments has genuine client loyalty, arguably the industry’s most valuable asset. When you consistently solve problems that others avoid, you become a trusted partner. Clients view Yes& not just as a vendor, but as an essential collaborator.

The results are evident in substantial growth and client retention. Companies seeking alternatives to traditional agency relationships have found value in Yes&'s partnership approach. They've learned what Bob recognized years ago: sustainable success comes from agencies willing to address challenging problems rather than just superficially attractive opportunities.

Bob's music background shaped how he approaches business problems. His years in music production taught him to find the emotional core of any message and present it in ways that resonate with audiences.

This artistic foundation influences Yes& work. Bob learned that effective communication requires both logic and emotion, a lesson that applies whether the client is a healthcare system or a technology company. His approach focuses on making complex business challenges accessible and engaging to broader audiences.

The skills transfer directly: just as music connects with listeners on an emotional level, Bob's campaigns aim to create genuine connections rather than simply delivering information.

The transition wasn't a dramatic pivot but rather a gradual recognition of necessity and opportunity. Struggling to make music work in Washington D.C., Bob realized they could apply their creative sensibilities to corporate communications. This taught him that evolution through constraint breeds innovation—a philosophy that now defines Yes&'s approach to challenging clients and difficult problems.

Bob has created a culture of experimentation that attracts top talent who share the "Let's-Try-It-ism" DNA. His leadership philosophy emphasizes that this mindset must be, as he puts it, "intrinsic in the people that started the company, have grown the company, and will continue to build the company."

He's also influenced industry thinking by showing that mid-sized independents can compete not through pedigree but through problem-solving capability and genuine partnership with clients facing complex challenges.

on