Avenue Z and Profound Debut AI Search Breakthrough for Brands; Live at SXSW 2026

AI Power 50 leader Avenue Z joins AI-tech unicorn Profound on SXSW’s Innovation Track Stage to share AEO Report Audit and Solution for Brand Visibility in AI Search

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avenue Z, the hybrid agency pioneering AI Search Optimization (AEO), has been selected to co-lead a featured workshop at SXSW 2026 alongside Profound, the marketing platform for the era of AI, enabling brands to understand, control, and scale how they appear across AI Search.

The interactive workshop, “Conversation Culture: A Live AEO / AI Search Audit for Brands,” will debut the industry’s first-ever live AEO Brand Audit, revealing in real time how generative Answer Engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity interpret, represent, and recommend brands. As AI-driven search increasingly shapes discovery and buying decisions, attendees will gain direct visibility into how their brand appears inside these systems and what influences that outcome. Registration is now open to SXSW Innovation Conference attendees, here.

Co-led by Tina Fleming, Avenue Z’s VP of AI Strategy, and Nick Lafferty, Head of Growth Marketing at Profound, the workshop will equip marketers and communicators with tools to evaluate discoverability, authority signals, and brand perception inside AI-native environments.

“AI Search is the biggest platform shift in the history of marketing, said James Cadwallader, Co-founder and CEO of Profound. “As AI Agents act for consumers, brands need their own Agents influencing how they’re understood and recommended.”

The session marks the official debut of Profound’s proprietary AEO Audit technology, integrated with Avenue Z’s AI Search Optimization / AEO solution. Recently recognized as one of the Best AI Tools of 2026 by G2 and named #1 leader on G2’s AEO Software category, Profound delivers the data infrastructure - while Avenue Z activates it through PR, performance media, content, and technical optimization - together, they offer one unstoppable solution for brands.

“A lot of brands think they’re doing the right things - SEO, PR, content - but it’s all siloed,” said Tina Fleming. “When we unify the strategy and pull the right levers, visibility moves fast. This isn’t a black box. When we know the prompts, the sources, and the mix, with the right implementation and strategic approach, we can go from zero to measurable impact in a matter of weeks.”

The SXSW selection marks another milestone year for Avenue Z, recently named to ADWEEK’s 2026 AI Power 50 for developing the industry’s first comprehensive AEO solution for brands.

“We built Avenue Z to lead clients through the intersection of Search and AI,” said Jeffrey Herzog, CEO of Avenue Z. “Partnering with Profound to debut this technology and solution at SXSW reinforces that mission. Together, we’re shaping the future of AI visibility - building reputation, driving revenue, and giving brands the power to own it.”

In addition to this workshop at SXSW, Profound is hosting its annual conference on the future of Search, Zero Click, bringing together the world’s top AI Search experts, in San Francisco on April 8 and New York on June 11.

About Avenue Z

Avenue Z is the hybrid agency for influence - an ai-accelerated, data-first digital marketing and PR company engineered to move fast. Brands partner with us to drive revenue and reputation across all channels - from ChatGPT to The Wall Street Journal, Shopify to TikTok, Meta to Google. Trusted by leaders in consumer, tech, and finance, we power the earned, owned, and performance media channels driving influence. AvenueZ.com | DrivingInfluence.com

About Profound

Profound is the marketing platform for the era of AI. Thousands of teams use Profound’s automated workflows to understand, control, and scale how they appear across AI Search. Trusted by Figma, Walmart, Ramp, MongoDB, Chime, and U.S. Bank, Profound arms visionary marketers with the tools to win the zero-click internet. Learn more at www.tryprofound.com