Austin Teen Recognized By Ad Age For 'Zfluence' Platform

AUSTIN, TX — It's one thing to be included in AdAge magazine's annual 40 Under 40 list showcasing media and marketing trailblazers. It's quite another to be included in such rarefied ranks at the tender age of 18 — and among such titans as Google, the New York Times and the NBA — as Austin resident Ava McDonald has accomplished.

Now a freshman year at Georgetown University, McDonald was recognized for creating Zfluence — the first and only digital solution that connects companies directly with leading members of Gen Z who love their products and want to promote them authentically to their friends on social media — on a short list culled from some 800 original entries. The recognition comes at a time when companies strive to promote their social justice bona fides while navigating an evolving landscape altered by the coronavirus.

"I am a teenager, and spend a lot of time on social media as a result," McDonald told Patch in a recent telephone interview in describing her own personal bona fides that spurred her founding Zfluence. "There are a lot of disingenuous post. These are not the type of sponsorships or ads that resonate with us as a consumer group."

While a junior in high school, she told Ad Age she would come across influencers hyping up all manner of products — but the pitches didn't ring true to her. “I noticed that brands were trying to reach Gen Zers using ‘pay-to-say’ influencers, but it was so clear to technology natives like myself that these were disingenuous endorsements," she explained.

Ana McDonald found marketing to her generation as inauthentic while still in high school, and set out to break the influencer mold. Courtesy image.

Likening her site to the dating site Bumble, McDonald said her site pairs users with tailored, resonant brands — with all their attendant corporate ideals and commitment to social causes — with whom those of her generation prefer to work. The emphasis is on genuine messaging rather than the awe of celebrity endorsement, she suggested.

"Just because authenticity is very important to me," McDonald explained. "I think the most important thing about the platform is we don't have a cash compensation model." That's best explained in the website mantra: "Professional 'Influencers' Don’t Influence Gen Z Consumers —Friends Do.'

A 2020 Bank of America analysis bears that out. "Gen Z values authenticity and is more likely to follow friends’ recommendations on social media before making a purchase," the report's authorys found. "Gen Z is the most advertising-resistant generation."

To further illuminate the goal, McDonald's website outlines "The Zfluence Difference" by ticking off its myriad attributes:

• The Easiest and Most Effective Way to Build a Team of Authentic Brand Evangelists.
• Source your Gen Z ambassadors exclusively and solely from a pool of self-identified fans of your brand.
• Add new Zfluence ambassadors to your team, as often as you like and without limitation.
• Reward your Zfluence ambassadors for sharing your brand with their friends with product only, never cash.
• Free global rights to your Zfluence ambassadors’ brand content, so you can repost their fresh and authentic content on your own social channels.
• Begin reviewing and approving Zfluence ambassadors on your Brand Page within 48 hours.
• Self-manage your Zfluence ambassadors directly, your way, to build authentic relationships.
• No hidden fees or negotiating and signing individual contracts with your Zfluence ambassadors.
• Immediate, mass promotion of your brand to our network of thousands of Gen Z consumers upon joining ($2,000+ value).

Unlike conventional models for such ad-driven sites, Zfluence ambassadors are not paid influencers or content creators, McDonald stressed. Instead, they're genuine fans of and advocates for one's brand and influential members of Gen Z. The network has grown to more than 1,000 "Zfluencers" representing 50-plus brands.

"I really wanted to make it more authentic for my generation," she said of marketing that abounds in hopes of connecting with the key, youthful demographic of her generation. "I wanted to help Millennials and Zoomers understand Gen Z and what resonates with us."

Such exquisite marketing reach is tantamount to a mysterious mix of equal parts calculus and alchemy to most (read older) attempting such outreach. But to McDonald, it has come naturally both professionally and personally.