Advertising on ChatGPT
Everything you need to know
Last week, OpenAI officially launched ChatGPT ads. This opens up the platform's 900 million weekly users to paid visibility for the first time. In this blog, we'll walk you through exactly what this means for you.
What's going to change?
OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT will start showing sponsored content beneath answers. These ads won't be banners or pop-ups, but relevant additions to a question a user is already asking. Say someone asks: "Which accounting software fits my business?" A sponsored result from a provider that directly matches that need could then appear.
This works differently from an ad you scroll past on social media. The user is already in the middle of a decision moment, so the ad doesn't necessarily feel like an interruption at that point, more like an addition.
With over 900 million weekly users, ChatGPT has grown into a serious link in how people search for information and make decisions. And until now, that channel was completely free of paid visibility.
The difference between ChatGPT Ads and Google Ads
With Google Ads, everything revolves around keywords. You bid on terms, write ad copy, and pay per click. This is a familiar model by now, one most people already understand inside and out.
AI advertising works differently. ChatGPT doesn't just understand the words in a question, but also the intent behind it. Setting up a campaign that fits that requires a different way of thinking.
What questions is your target audience asking? What answer do they expect to get? And how can your offering be positioned as a logical next step, without feeling pushy? Whoever starts thinking about that approach now will have a head start later.
And other AI tools?
OpenAI is the most talked-about player, but not the only one. Microsoft Copilot already shows ads by default via existing Google Ads integrations. Companies already actively advertising on Google are, in some cases, already visible in Copilot.
Google itself has already made Shopping and Search ads visible within AI Overviews. Internal communication to agencies suggests that Gemini, Google's AI assistant, will also increasingly offer advertising options.
Meta AI doesn't have an advertising model yet, but with a billion users spread across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, it's realistic that this is just a matter of time.
The direction is clear: wherever people ask their questions, ads will follow.
Our expectations
Developments are moving fast, and the numbers don't lie. Around 2027, it's expected that roughly 30% of all commercial search queries will be handled within AI environments. Paid advertising within those environments is expected to follow at scale about two years later.
So the question isn't whether you'll get into AI advertising, but when. And it pays to start thinking about it now: What questions is your target audience asking AI? What content matches those questions? And is the party guiding your online marketing already working on an approach for this new channel?
Because when ChatGPT Ads becomes widely available, you'll want to be ready. The brands that will be visible first are the brands preparing themselves now.
What does this mean for your approach?
AI advertising isn't a replacement for what you're already doing, but an extension of your marketing strategy. And that extension requires preparation. Start by looking at the key questions you can already answer now, so you're not starting from zero later.
A strong foundation begins with a clear strategy. Whoever has that foundation in place will be able to move quickly once advertising in AI becomes widely available.
Dare to be first
We're already looking at how brands can be found within AI environments and what's needed to stay ahead once paid advertising becomes widely available.