There’s been a lot of buzz about AI lately, but this is worth paying attention to a parking standpoint. OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) is building its own advertising platform, and it will eventually change how brands reach new customers.
So, what is it exactly?
OpenAI is rolling out an Ads Manager platform that looks a lot like what you’d find in Google or Meta with campaign management, audience targeting, bidding options, and reporting dashboards. It’s still early, but they’ve already started lowering the barrier to entry (initial buy-ins dropped from ~$250K to closer to $50K), which signals they’re trying to open this up to more advertisers, not just the big guys.
What makes this different from regular search ads?
Traditional search ads work by matching your ad to a specific keyword based on match type, for example, someone types “best CRM software” and your ad shows up. Simple.
AI advertising works differently. Instead of a single search, these platforms can understand the context of an entire conversation. If someone’s been chatting about scaling their team and managing new hires, they might later see a recommendation for your HR software because the AI understood the underlying need, not just the words typed.
For your brand, that means the opportunity to show up at exactly the right moment, in a way that feels relevant to what the user is already thinking about.
What does this look like in practice?
Think of it less like a banner ad and more like a smart recommendation. Your brand could appear as a sponsored suggestion inside an AI conversation and at the exact point when someone is actively trying to solve a problem with your product or service addresses. That’s a powerful moment to be present.
Should your brand be thinking about this now?
The platform is still in early stages, and it’ll likely be a while before it’s widely accessible or proven. But it’s worth being aware of, because the brands (and agencies) that start understanding how conversational AI and intent-based targeting work now a real head will have started when it does open.
The bigger picture here is a shift in how people discover products and services. Search used to mean typing a few keywords into Google but now it means having a back-and-forth conversation with an AI and those conversations are going to become ad-supported, just like everything else on the internet.
The question about your brand isn’t if you’ll need a strategy for this reason, it’s when, and whether you’ll be ready.
We’re keeping a close eye on how this develops and will keep you in the loop as things evolve. Reach out if you want to talk about what this could look like for your specific goals.
C.O.nxt Insight.
Our team of subject matter experts focuses on food and agriculture—farm field to processing to entrée on a plate. We can help you build a new brand, protect an old one or target customers to foster sales. Let’s talk when the time is right to handle your next strategic marketing and communications challenge: Marcy Tessmann, marcy@co-nxt.com.
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