Advertising on ChatGPT is entering a new phase. Following a testing period and a phased rollout, OpenAI is now allowing European advertisers to purchase campaigns directly through Ads Manager. For brands, this launch represents more than just the arrival of a new advertising platform: it opens the door to an environment where consumers express their needs, outline their constraints, compare solutions, and prepare to make decisions.
This unique feature fundamentally changes the approach to media. A ChatGPT Ads campaign should not be viewed as a simple adaptation of Google Ads or Meta Ads. It requires a nuanced understanding of user intent, ads that are relevant to the context of the conversation, a reliable measurement system, and a structured learning phase.
That is precisely the role of a ChatGPT Ads agency: to transform this new potential into a measurable acquisition strategy that is consistent with other digital channels and tailored to the advertiser’s goals.
What is ChatGPT Ads?
ChatGPT Ads is the advertising platform developed by OpenAI to enable businesses to showcase their products and services to ChatGPT users. According to OpenAI, the platform now has more than one billion active users each week. These users aren’t just looking for a quick answer—they use ChatGPT to plan a trip, choose software, prepare for a purchase, compare offers, or solve a specific problem.
The key difference from a traditional search engine lies in the richness of the context. Instead of entering a few keywords, users can describe their goals, budget, preferences, and constraints. This allows ads to appear at a time when the need has already been articulated and the decision-making process is underway.
OpenAI notes, however, that the ads remain clearly identified and separate from the generated responses. They do not influence ChatGPT’s responses, and advertisers do not have access to private conversations. Ads are currently targeted at users of the Free and Go plans, while paid subscriptions such as Plus, Pro, and Enterprise remain ad-free.
Why is ChatGPT Ads a new acquisition channel?
The digital shopping journey has become fragmented. A consumer might discover a product on social media, read reviews, ask an AI for advice, search on Google, and then return to the brand’s website. Within this journey, ChatGPT plays a unique role: it helps users formulate and evaluate their choices.
A brand can therefore play a role at several stages:
- when discovering a category of products or services;
- during the identification of selection criteria;
- when comparing different options;
- when the user is looking for a solution tailored to a specific constraint;
- just before taking action, requesting a quote, or making a purchase.
This close alignment with the decision-making process makes ChatGPT Ads particularly appealing to companies in the e-commerce, B2B software, financial services, tourism, real estate, training, and high-consideration services sectors.
But potential does not automatically guarantee performance. The conversational context requires that the message be relevant and useful. An ad that is too generic or too pushy may not align with the user’s expected experience.
Why Use a ChatGPT Ads Agency?
The launch of a new ad network naturally creates an advantage for advertisers who are able to learn quickly. It also creates several risks: replicating the structures of another platform without adapting them, investing without proper tracking, launching too many campaigns too soon, or drawing conclusions based on an insufficient amount of data.
A ChatGPT Ads agency helps advertisers develop a robust experimentation framework. Its role isn’t limited to setting up a campaign in Ads Manager. It must integrate media strategy, understanding of user intent, ad creation, landing pages, measurement, and optimization.
1. Identify the most promising use cases
Not all products and offers have the same potential on ChatGPT. The agency analyzes audiences, decision-making journeys, frequently asked questions, competitive advantages, and data from other channels to identify situations in which an ad can truly help the user.
The key is to start with the needs that have been expressed, rather than just a list of keywords. It’s important to understand the problems the product solves, the selection criteria used by the prospect, and the objections that might slow down their decision-making process.
2. Organize campaigns and ad groups
OpenAI Ads Manager lets you create campaigns, ad groups, and ads, including CPC bidding, results-driven strategies, geographic targeting, custom audiences, and campaigns based on product feeds.
An agency organizes this structure around coherent objectives and use cases. It avoids grouping overly diverse needs into a single category, which would make performance analysis more difficult and the messages less relevant.
3. Create messages tailored to the conversation
Advertising creative must provide a credible solution to the user’s situation. It must highlight a tangible benefit, clarify the value proposition, and give a good reason to proceed to the advertiser’s website.
The best ads will likely not be the ones that most disrupt the user experience, but rather those that blend naturally into the search and comparison process. Creative work must therefore combine precision, usefulness, and differentiation.
4. Choose landing pages that are truly aligned
A good campaign can’t make up for a landing page that’s too general. If the ad addresses a specific need, the landing page must follow the same logic: reiterate the promise, address objections, provide the expected information, and make it easy to take action.
This continuity between conversations, ads, and landing pages helps improve traffic quality and conversion rates. It also facilitates learning, as the results better reflect the actual relevance of the targeting and the message.
5. Implement a reliable measure
OpenAI offers several measurement tools, including OpenAI Pixel, the Conversions API, and integrations with measurement partners. Ads Manager, in particular, allows you to track impressions, clicks, spend, CTR, average CPC, average CPM, and conversions when tracking is set up correctly.
A ChatGPT Ads agency must oversee the entire process:
- definition of relevant conversions;
- Pixel installation and verification;
- possible deployment via Google Tag Manager;
- Implementation of the Conversions API when appropriate;
- configuring URLs and UTM tags;
- integration with GA4, Matomo, or another analytics solution;
- Verification of consent and device compliance.
Without this foundation, it becomes difficult to distinguish actual results from mere engagement signals.
What features does ChatGPT Ads Manager offer?
The platform is evolving rapidly. At this stage, OpenAI has already developed the key building blocks needed to run performance-based campaigns:
- CPM and CPC bidding;
- conversion-oriented optimization;
- geographic targeting;
- customized audiences;
- campaigns based on catalogs or product feeds;
- daily budgets and spending limits;
- tracked by campaign, ad group, and ad;
- reports in tables and graphs;
- export data in CSV format;
- Pixel and Conversions API;
- integrations with measurement partners.
The management tool is still in the development phase. As a result, its formats, objectives, purchasing methods, and reporting capabilities are set to expand. This ongoing evolution underscores the value of an agile approach: testing within a defined framework, documenting lessons learned, and regularly adjusting the strategy.
ChatGPT Ads, Google Ads, and Meta Ads: Complementary, Not Interchangeable
ChatGPT Ads is not a replacement for Google Ads or Meta Ads. Each platform serves a different purpose.
Google Ads primarily captures demand expressed in the search engine or supports discovery through its ecosystem. Meta Ads excels at generating demand, ad repetition, and targeting based on audiences and behaviors. ChatGPT Ads operates in a conversational space where users articulate their needs and criteria.
A ChatGPT Ads agency with expertise in search, social ads, analytics, and GEO can build on these complementary strengths. Insights from Google Ads can deepen our understanding of user intent. SEO and GEO data can reveal key questions and topics. Creative assets from social media campaigns can inspire communication angles. Finally, audience data and first-party data can contribute to a more cohesive media strategy.
From GEO to GEA: Two Complementary Disciplines
GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, aims to boost a brand’s visibility in generative engine results. GEA, or Generative Engine Advertising, refers to the use of advertising in these same environments.
These two approaches should not be viewed as mutually exclusive. GEO builds a sustainable organic presence through high-quality content, brand authority, and accessibility to AI systems. GEA enables you to achieve paid visibility more quickly, test value propositions, and reach users in strategic contexts.
As with search marketing, combining organic and paid results provides a more comprehensive view. Ad campaigns can reveal effective search intent, messages, and offers. These insights can then be used to enhance GEO content. Conversely, GEO analysis provides a better understanding of the topics, entities, and questions associated with the brand.
How Knewledge Supports Advertisers with ChatGPT Ads
Since 2009, Knewledge has been supporting companies in Luxembourg, Belgium, France, and around the world with their digital acquisition strategies. Our expertise spans SEA, social advertising, SEO, GEO, web analytics, tracking, and conversion funnel optimization.
As a ChatGPT Ads agency, we integrate this new tool into a comprehensive strategy, rather than treating it as a standalone channel. Our services can include:
- an analysis of the potential of ChatGPT Ads for your business;
- defining objectives, target audiences, and use cases;
- the design of the testing strategy;
- structuring and configuring campaigns;
- the creation of advertising messages;
- the selection or optimization of landing pages;
- setting up tracking and validating conversions;
- performance monitoring and continuous optimization;
- Integrating ChatGPT Ads into SEA, social media advertising, and GEO strategies.
Our goal is not to invest in a platform simply because it is new. It is to determine how it can tangibly contribute to each advertiser’s visibility, customer acquisition, and growth.
What’s the best strategy for launching your first ChatGPT Ads campaign?
To start, it’s best to focus on a targeted test rather than a deployment that’s too broad.
Set a Clear Sales Goal
The campaign must be tied to a measurable outcome: a sale, a request for a quote, a sign-up, account creation, a download, or another action that generates value. Intermediate metrics are still useful, but they should not replace the ultimate goal.
Choose a program and a few priority goals
A first campaign is best when it focuses on a well-defined offer and on situations where the benefit to the user is clear. This focus makes it easier to create, analyze, and optimize the campaign.
Secure tracking before activation
The Pixel, conversion events, URL parameters, and analytics tools should be tested before investing. It’s also important to recognize that data from Ads Manager and analytics may differ due to consent settings, ad blockers, attribution windows, or page loading.
Plan for a real learning phase
A new platform requires time and a systematic approach. You must define in advance the testing budget, the observation period, the evaluation criteria, and the possible courses of action: continue, adjust, expand, or stop.
Compare value, not just the cost per click
A low CPC does not guarantee a profitable campaign. The quality of visitors, the conversion rate, the value of sales, and the channel’s ability to generate new customers are more important. The analysis must also take into account interactions with other marketing channels and the length of the customer journey.
Should you try ChatGPT Ads right now?
For many advertisers, the answer is yes—provided they adopt a controlled testing approach.
Early adopters have a rare opportunity: to learn before practices become standardized and competition intensifies. They can identify the most promising opportunities, understand the specific expectations of this environment, and gradually build their track record.
However, this does not mean blindly shifting existing budgets. ChatGPT Ads must be evaluated based on the company’s objectives, market, target audiences, and ability to accurately measure results.
Choose Knewledge as Your ChatGPT Ads Agency
The introduction of advertising on ChatGPT marks the beginning of a new era for digital acquisition. This channel has considerable potential, but its effectiveness will depend on the relevance of the campaigns, the quality of measurement, and the ability to integrate it with the rest of the marketing strategy.
Knewledge offers you comprehensive expertise in digital advertising, tracking, SEO, and GEO to turn this new feature into a concrete, manageable solution.
Would you like to assess the potential of ChatGPT Ads for your business, set up an initial test, or incorporate this tool into your media mix? Contact Knewledge to develop your ChatGPT Ads strategy.
FAQ About ChatGPT Ads Agencies
What is a ChatGPT Ads agency?
A ChatGPT Ads agency helps advertisers create, launch, measure, and optimize their advertising campaigns on ChatGPT. It provides support in the areas of strategy, target audiences, messaging, tracking, landing pages, and results analysis.
Is ChatGPT Ads available in Europe?
Yes. OpenAI has expanded ChatGPT Ads to European markets and now offers direct access through Ads Manager. However, availability and certain features may vary by country or account.
What metrics can be tracked in Ads Manager?
Ads Manager allows you to track impressions, clicks, spending, CTR, average CPC, average CPM, and conversions, provided the tracking setup is configured correctly.
What budget should you set aside to test ChatGPT Ads?
The budget depends on the market, the objective, the target audience, and the amount of data required. An agency must design a test that is focused enough to yield insights, without spreading the budget too thinly across too many campaigns or offers.
Is ChatGPT Ads Replacing Google Ads?
No. Google Ads and ChatGPT Ads are designed for different use cases. They can complement each other as part of an overall customer acquisition strategy.
What is the difference between GEO and GEA?
GEO aims to improve a brand’s organic visibility in AI-generated responses. GEA focuses on paid visibility and advertising campaigns run in these environments.
