Ars X Machina Named to Inc.'s 2026 Power Partner Awards for Second Consecutive Year

Independent media agency recognized for client partnership and innovation, including its proprietary Agile Mix Modeling™ platform that helps marketers make smarter media investments

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ars X Machina (AXM), an independent, female-owned media agency, has been named a 2026 Inc. Power Partner Awards winner for the second consecutive year. AXM was honored in the Advertising, Marketing and Sales category for its commitment to helping clients succeed. The recognition comes as AXM expands Agile Mix Modeling™ (AMM), its proprietary marketing mix modeling platform that identifies which paid media investments drive incremental sales. AMM is offered as a managed service to brands and other agencies and can be used during active campaigns.

"We built Agile Mix Modeling because we wanted to be a better media agency partner to our clients, and the tools available weren't giving us the answers we needed," said Taji Zaminasli, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of AXM. "Our clients were asking questions that traditional measurement couldn't answer quickly enough. So we built something that could. To us, that's what being a good partner means: understanding the problem, finding a better way to solve it and being accountable for the results."

Power Partners must demonstrate a track record of helping businesses grow and are selected for their ability to deliver meaningful value to their clients.

"Business owners have no shortage of tools at their disposal, and B2B companies need to make clear why their products and services are worth the investment," said Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. "The companies on this year's Power Partners list have done just that. They don't just have customers – they have superfans and evangelists."

Better measurement, better media decisions

Traditional attribution often credits the channels closest to a sale, overlooking earlier influences. Conventional marketing mix modeling can also take months, delivering insights too late to act on.

AXM developed Agile Mix Modeling™ to address both problems. Using daily media data, Bayesian modeling and the expertise of experienced media practitioners, AMM measures the incremental contribution of media investments across channels. It also allows marketers to test potential budget shifts before committing the money, forecasting the likely impact on business outcomes while campaigns are still running.

For outdoor apparel brand Mountain Hardwear, AMM revealed that paid search was oversaturated, while upper- and mid-funnel investments contributed more to customer acquisition than traditional attribution suggested. AXM shifted investment toward reaching new audiences and building demand. Incrementality reached 31%, twice the e-commerce category benchmark, while incremental return on ad spend improved an average of 25% per quarter.

"For years, marketers were forced to make decisions about brand and performance investments without really understanding how they work together," said Josy Amann, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, AXM. "The channels that get credit for a sale aren't necessarily the ones that made it happen. What's exciting about AMM is that we can finally see how those investments influence each other and help our clients find the right balance for their business. Sometimes that means investing more in brand. Sometimes it doesn't. The point is that we're making those decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions."

Recognition for the people behind the innovation

Sara Owens, AXM's SVP of Analytics and Data Science, was also named an AdExchanger 2026 Top Women in Media & Ad Tech, Data Demystifier. Owens led the development of Agile Mix Modeling, combining advanced statistical modeling with practical media expertise to create a platform that helps marketers understand not only what happened, but what is likely to happen next.

SOURCE Ars X Machina