"…For AKQA, 2007 marked the year it truly arrived. The agency's early bet that it could build an independent, global, creatively driven digital agency serving some of the world's biggest brands had finally paid off. Revenue last year spiked 45 percent to $99 million, with the agency adding Motorola and boosting its work for longtime clients including Coca-Cola, Nike and Visa. The shop also expanded its global footprint with outposts in Amsterdam and Shanghai.

AKQA's staggering growth, consistently outstanding creative, innovation in emerging digital channels and determination to follow an independent course combine to make it AdweekMedia's Digital Agency of the Year."

One of the biggest stories of 2007 was digital giants aQuantive and Digitas getting snapped up by bigger ad players. If you're wondering who will be the next to make a big move, take a long look at AKQA, an agency that's very quietly turning itself into a full-service marketing partner that just happens to have digital roots.

After private-equity company General Atlantic took a majority stake early last year, AKQA picked up SearchRev, likely the first of several deals to build out its offerings. Any aggressiveness on the acquisition front from AKQA should be scary for its competitors. The San Francisco-based shop, helmed by CEO Tom Bedecarre, has long been among the best when it comes to designing websites and interactive ad programs; now it's branching out to shape customer experience in a bigger way.