Jeffrey Herzog is Founder and CEO of Avenue Z, the Miami- and New York-rooted marketing and PR firm he launched in 2023 at the intersection of AI search and creator-led influence. He previously founded iCrossing, acquired by Hearst in 2010, and ZOG Digital, acquired by Investis Digital in 2018.
Founding iCrossing in 1998
Herzog founded iCrossing in 1998 as an early search-marketing agency. Under his leadership the firm grew into a global independent shop with more than a dozen offices and well over $100 million in annual revenue before Hearst Magazines acquired it in 2010 in a deal reported at about $450 million including earn-out.
Along the way he raised venture capital from firms including Goldman Sachs and RRE Ventures and integrated acquisitions such as Proxicom, Spannerworks, and 3GNet.
ZOG Digital and Avenue Z
In 2011 Herzog founded ZOG Digital, a content-marketing firm that grew quickly before Investis Digital acquired it in 2018. In June 2023 a Business Wire announcement introduced the Avenue Z Network as a strategic communications consultancy combining PR and digital media for growth brands, beginning with the acquisition of Miami's The Snow Agency.
Avenue Z now packages AI search optimization, creator marketing, PR, performance media, and ecommerce under one roof, with offices in Miami, New York, and Orlando. In 2025 Herzog completed an ownership step that left him sole owner of the agency.
AI Search and Creators
In Avenue Z materials Herzog argues that brands win when they show up where AI systems surface answers and where creators shape trust. One quoted line puts it plainly: brands are "building the kind of authority that AI systems recognize and the kind of content that creators and communities can turn into revenue."
Avenue Z's leadership roster includes Whitney Hart, Tina Fleming, and Melena Gurganus. Industry recognition for Herzog in this chapter has included Adweek's AI Power 50.