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Avenue Z, a tech-driven marketing and communications agency leading AI Optimization, today announced it has been named “Cognitive Communications Solution of the Year” by the AI Breakthrough Awards, honoring its first-to-market AI Optimization (AIO) Solution.
The prestigious award - selected from more than 5,000 global nominations - recognizes Avenue Z’s AIO Solution, and its ability to place brands at the top of AI Search. With this award, Avenue Z joins a powerhouse cohort of 2025 winners including NVIDIA, Microsoft, Meta, HPE, EY, Databricks, Honeywell, Arcade, Juniper Networks, and other global innovators.
“We launched AIO to solve one of the most important shifts in the history of digital communications: the move from keywords to questions, from links to answers,” said Jeffrey Herzog, Founder and CEO of Avenue Z. “Influence today is more powerful when it’s invisible—architected with strategy, technology, and precision to ensure brands speak the language of generative AI and show up as trusted authorities in the conversations that drive modern decision-making. It’s simple - consumers have shifted to AI search, and we’re helping brands get there.”
AIO is the first solution purpose-built for generative search - not a bolt-on to legacy SEO. As platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity shift from listing links to delivering synthesized answers, AI-powered search is surging. By 2027, over 90 million American adults are expected to use generative AI as their primary search tool, with Gen Z and Millennials leading in AI trust. While AI is reportedly set to complement - not fully replace - traditional search, it’s already driving a sharp decline in organic traffic, forcing publishers and marketers to rethink how visibility is earned.
Avenue Z’s AI Optimization (AIO) solution solves this challenge for brands with a three-pronged approach:
High-authority media placement to establish brand trust in sources large language models (LLMs) cite;
Conversational content creation aligned with AI-first query formats and voice;
Technical LLM optimization using semantic schema, metadata, and structure designed for machine interpretation.
What makes this AI Optimization Solution unique is its cognitive model - a communications framework that ensures clients are not just searchable, but selected, when AI platforms synthesize responses for consumers.
“This is not SEO retrofitted for AI,” added Johnny Hughes, Chief Marketing Officer and AI Council Chair at Avenue Z. “This is a new language for influence, blending technical precision with strategic storytelling so our clients own the questions that matter most.”
Led by Herzog, who previously revolutionized SEO through iCrossing, Avenue Z is building the new blueprint for how brands succeed in the AI era.
“We’re proud to be doing for AI what we once did for Google search: building the map before the rest of the industry knows they need it,” said Herzog. “With AIO, we’re not gaming algorithms, we’re guiding conversations and content at the intersection of influence and machine logic.”
The AI Breakthrough Awards, produced by Tech Breakthrough, recognize the world’s most innovative companies, products, and technologies in artificial intelligence. This year’s program included standout entries from startups and tech titans alike, across categories such as machine learning, NLP, computer vision, and cognitive computing.
“This award is more than recognition - it’s validation that our commitment to strategic communication in the AI era is working,” said Whitney Hart, Chief Strategy Officer at Avenue Z. “AIO empowers brands to shape narrative and trust in a world where machines mediate influence. We’re proud to lead that transformation.”
As part of its broader commitment to market leadership, Avenue Z also recently launched its AI Visibility Index Reports, which help brands assess and improve their presence in generative AI platforms. The reports are publicly available at: https://avenuez.com/ai-visibility-index/
With this award, Avenue Z continues to lead the evolution of strategic communications, helping companies not only keep up with change, but shape it.
For more information, visit AvenueZ.com or their media outlet, DrivingInfluence.com.
About Avenue Z
Avenue Z is a tech-driven marketing and communications agency leading AI optimization, driving influence across all channels - from ChatGPT to The Wall Street Journal to TikTok. With 30 years of leadership in search and digital marketing, we apply strategic communications, high-impact PR, performance media, and AI optimization to help companies build reputation and grow revenue through our proprietary, technology-driven approach. We are the agency for influence. AvenueZ.com
Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform, the AI Breakthrough Awards honor the industry’s most innovative companies, technologies, and products in the field of artificial intelligence. The program draws entries from companies and research labs across the globe, showcasing AI's most impactful breakthroughs each year.
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