Avenue Z’s Jeffrey Herzog Named to ADWEEK AI Power 50 2026

Avenue Z is honored to share that our CEO, Jeffrey Herzog, has been named to the ADWEEK AI Power 50 2026, a list recognizing the executives who are leading the industry’s adoption of AI in marketing and advertising.

This recognition reflects years of intentional investment in AI, across strategy, product, and execution, to help brands win in an AI-first, zero-click economy.

What is the ADWEEK AI Power 50?

The ADWEEK AI Power 50 honors the leaders who are building the future AI infrastructure of marketing, from the engineers and data experts coding algorithms to the creative and strategic leaders using AI in transformative ways.

Entries are reviewed by an external jury of industry executives, with final approval from ADWEEK’s editorial team, underscoring the rigor and selectivity of the list.

Being included on this list is a signal of where the industry is headed and who is helping define that direction.

Why Jeffrey Herzog and Avenue Z Were Recognized

While much of the industry is still reacting to AI’s disruption, Jeffrey Herzog has been building for it. Designing the strategies, tools, and methodologies brands need to thrive in an AI-first economy.

Under Jeff’s leadership, Avenue Z has:

• Redefined visibility and influence in an AI-native media landscape by focusing on how brands show up inside AI-generated answers, not just in traditional search results.
• Pioneered AI Optimization (AIO), a solution category that combines high-authority media placements, technical SEO, and strategic content to ensure brands are discovered, cited, and recommended by AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
• Launched the AI Visibility Index (AIVx), the first framework of its kind to benchmark how brands rank across AI-driven discovery engines, giving marketers a new playbook for a fragmented, machine-led attention economy.
• Evolved Avenue Z from a traditional agency into a cross-channel performance marketing company, integrating AI across content, PR, and media to deliver faster, measurable outcomes for clients.

Along the way, this work has contributed to multiple industry honors, including an AI Breakthrough Award, Inno Fire Award, MarComm Gold Award, and Global Recognition Award for transforming how brands build visibility through AI.

Jeff’s philosophy is simple but powerful: media, message, and machine learning should not live in silos. They should converge into a single, performance-driven system, and that belief is increasingly influencing how holding companies and in-house teams think about AI marketing.

Building the Future Infrastructure of AI-Driven Marketing

Through initiatives like AIO and the AI Visibility Index (AIVx), Avenue Z has published ongoing research and benchmarks that help brands understand and improve their presence across AI-driven discovery platforms.

So far, the team has:

• Published six AI Visibility Indexes and eight AIVx Mini Reports
• Spanned verticals including fintech, eCommerce, nutrition, and electronics

This work has established a new standard for measuring influence in the post-search era, where AI agents and LLMs are often the first interface between consumers and brands.

What This Recognition Means for Our Clients and Partners

Being named to ADWEEK’s AI Power 50 is a meaningful milestone for Jeffrey Herzog and the Avenue Z team, but more importantly, it’s validation of the AI-first performance model we’ve been building alongside our clients.

For brands, this recognition reinforces that:

• AI visibility is now a core growth lever, not a side experiment.
• The brands that win will be the ones that are consistently discovered, cited, and trusted inside AI-generated experiences.
• Partnering with teams who are designing, not just reacting to, the AI future will be a competitive advantage.

We’re grateful to ADWEEK and the judging panel for this honor, and even more grateful to our clients who push us to continue innovating every day. See the full ADWEEK AI Power 50 2026 list here.

If you’re interested in understanding how your brand shows up across AI platforms and how to improve it, you can explore our AI Lab here.

And if you’re ready to turn AI visibility into real business performance, the Avenue Z team is here to help you build what’s next.