Of all the cases MediaPost and OMMA have reviewed over the years, Huge's new AI-powered conversational interface Dakota is the purest embodiment we've seen to date of our three primary Agency of the Year awards criteria: vision, innovation and industry leadership. It leverages AI, design, institutional and human knowledge in a way that anticipates what users -- agencies, clients, consumers, and in the case of this year's pick, trade publication editors -- need before they know they even need it.

First, let's dispense with some elephants in the room of this year's Media Agency Holding Company of the Year pick, Dentsu Aegis Network. While some might see it as a surprise because of some issues involving Japanese parent Dentsu -- including the disclosure of billings improprieties and the resignation of CEO Tadashi Ishii following an employee's suicide, ostensibly related to the agency's working conditions -- our rationale was based on how the network reorganized its media operations in the U.S., especially some key acquisitions that transform it around the most important factor in media today: It's the data, stupid. Two …