Avenue Z

Kicked off SuperReturn North America with an incredible night of conversations, connections, and AI-driven insights in private capital. Brightwave and Avenue Z hosted AI Innovation in Private Capital: A SuperReturn Eve Reception, bringing together top PE managers and industry leaders, all with a stunning riverfront backdrop. Big thanks to everyone who joined us for an unforgettable evening! #Brightwave #AvenueZ #PrivateCapital #AI #SuperReturn #Miami ?? Emerge9 | IQ-EQ | Macquarie Group | Safra | CF Private Equity | Bastille Ventures

Don't underestimate the power of affiliate/paid PR. AI Search LOVES referencing advertorials in responses. 4 out of the 5 recommended supplements referenced advertorials (marked in red in the image). The remaining 1 didn't even have a source. Invest in PR or your brand will be invisible in the future. Here's how I see PR's role in AI Search: Branded search queries ?? Earned PR Non-branded search queries ?? Paid PR Media placements are critical to future proof your brand... You'd think that ChatGPT would distinguish between biased & unbiased media placements, but here we are.

“Digital authority is no longer just earned—it’s architected.” We’re excited to welcome?Whitney H.?as Avenue Z’s?Chief Strategy Officer, leading our?AI Optimization (AIO)?strategy. With a track record of driving digital transformation across Web2 and Web3, Whitney will help brands take control of how they’re discovered and trusted in the AI-driven era. AI is reshaping search, content, and influence; Avenue Z is shaping what comes next. Read more about this pivotal move, here: https://lnkd.in/eMtz4UVX #AIOptimization #DigitalStrategy #AIO

"DeepSeek is cheap, but your data might come with a hidden price." Johnny Hughes breaks down the security risks businesses need to consider before employees start using AI tools like DeepSeek. With concerns surfacing over data privacy and potential backdoor access, companies can’t afford to ignore the fine print. Read Johnny’s full analysis, featured in Entrepreneur Media, here: https://lnkd.in/eCGA7UuP #AI #CyberSecurity #DataPrivacy

We might be a little early to the party...but we just couldn’t wait! From pop stars to luxury fashion, 2025’s brand collaborations are already making waves, and we’re keeping track of the best. Check out the top collabs so far, and keep checking back—we’re adding more all year long >>> https://lnkd.in/efXiSCBa #2025collabs #influencercollaboration #brandstrategy

BIG news in AI Search this week! Semrush launched their "AI Toolkit" yesterday and was able to test drive it. What is it? The AI Toolkit helps you to track brand mentions and sentiment across LLMs like ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Perplexity. What I like? Really like how they organize the Query Intent Distribution and provide actual prompt examples that are tracked by topic / themes over time. The Key Sentiment Drivers (brand strength factors, areas of improvement) are pretty nice as well. What I don't like? It was unclear when signing up $99/mo that this would only be limited to 1 domain and I wouldn't be able to provide it with additional instructions, competitors, or narrow in the scope of my queries. Also, the "recommendations" it provides are really generic and not super helpful. Is it worth it? Personally, I don't think so (yet). It's pretty limited beyond the initial scan that it does on your brand and feel like there are other tools out there (like our AI SOV tool we built at Avenue Z). But I do believe it will get there! Overall, I'm really excited to have one of the first major SEO Tool Platforms add this to their stack. Excited to see what Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, and Moz come out with soon. Here's a link to learn more about the tool and what it offers: https://lnkd.in/gg_ykGvc

The rumors are true! Avenue Z is getting brands found in AI search. TechCrunch just featured Scrunch AI and its work helping companies take control of how they show up in search. They also called out Avenue Z for leading the way in making sure brands aren’t just seen, but seen the right way. Great piece by Rebecca Szkutak. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gUr-VW65 Learn more about our approach to AI optimization, here: https://lnkd.in/eN4D-qa6

High-stakes meetings are never just about what’s said; they’re about positioning, optics, and the broader strategic narrative. The Trump-Zelensky Oval Office meeting became a hyper-public moment, shaping global perceptions and reinforcing the complexities of diplomatic communication. With media scrutiny high, every word, gesture, and decision carried weight, influencing both immediate outcomes and long-term strategy. When messaging and real-world stakes collide, preparation and control are everything. Global brand strategy expert Nneka Etoniru breaks it down here ??

TOP AI NEWS THIS WEEK (late Feb 2025) A lot happened in AI this week – new models, major product upgrades, and fresh debates around ethics and regulation. Here’s what’s worth paying attention to: ? New Model Drops ? GPT-4.5 (OpenAI) – Sharper reasoning, fewer hallucinations, and more natural interactions. ? Claude 3.7 (Anthropic) – A hybrid reasoning model with “Claude Code” for developers. ? Big Tech’s AI Power Plays ? Amazon launches Alexa+ – A generative AI-powered upgrade, now running on Claude. ? Microsoft upgrades Copilot – Free unlimited voice interaction and stronger reasoning. ? Google debuts Gemini Deep Research – AI-powered synthesis inside Google Workspace. ? The Next Wave of AI Tools ? Perplexity unveils Comet, an AI-driven browser built for agentic search. ? Microsoft drops Phi-4-mini & Phi-4-multimodal, lightweight models for mobile AI. ? Alibaba Group open-sources Wan 2.1, pushing video and image generation quality forward. ? DeepSeek AI accelerates R2, its latest AI model gaining global traction. ? AI Ethics & Governance ? xAI’s Grok chatbot sparks debate – Moderation concerns over political biases. ? UK musicians fight AI copyright laws – Over 1,000 artists protest with a silent album. Which of these updates will have the biggest impact? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/epbB7ZVE

ChatGPT-4.5 brings smarter, more reliable AI to the table, but the real impact depends on how businesses use it. With better accuracy, deeper context, and more human-like interactions, it’s opening new doors for fintech, risk management, and customer engagement. Johnny Hughes dives into what’s changed and how leaders can put it to work. Read more below ?? #AIInnovation #ChatGPT #Fintech #TechLeadership