Experimenting first as an AI-powered agency with ChatGPT Ads: our approach

ChatGPT Ads are sponsored messages introduced by OpenAI in 2026 within the ChatGPT interface, allowing advertisers to sponsor relevant answers at the moment a user asks a question that matches their product or service. As an AI-powered agency, AdBrains is among the first agencies in the Netherlands to actively experiment with this new advertising channel, because we believe that early entry structurally benefits our clients.

Key takeaways

• ChatGPT Ads are sponsored answers within the ChatGPT chat interface, tied to conversational user intent.
• Early entry gives advertisers a competitive advantage: less auction pressure, more learning data and higher visibility per ad euro.
• AdBrains deploys its own AI technology to structure, test and optimise campaigns on ChatGPT Ads based on first-party signals.
• The approach differs fundamentally from Google Search Ads: context and conversational intent replace the traditional keyword model.
• Clients like Clima-Active.nl and ToetsJeKennis.nl are already benefiting from our early experiment data in the rollout of these campaigns.

What exactly are ChatGPT Ads?

ChatGPT Ads are advertisements displayed within the conversational interface of ChatGPT. When a user asks a question such as "Which type of air conditioner best suits a small home?", a relevant advertiser can show a sponsored answer or product mention. This is not a classic banner or text ad above a list of search results, but a content-integrated mention within the chat flow.

OpenAI announced in 2026 that it would allow advertising on its platform, after years of maintaining an ad-free model. This opens up a completely new advertising channel with properties that differ fundamentally from what marketers know from Google Ads or Meta Ads. The user is not browsing a search list, but engaged in a dialogue. That has major implications for how ads are received, evaluated and clicked.

The core difference lies in intent. With a Google search, a user quickly scans multiple results and makes a choice based on headline and snippet. In a ChatGPT conversation, the user reads an in-depth, personalised answer and is already further along in the decision process. That deeper intent makes ChatGPT Ads potentially very valuable, especially for products and services where the purchase decision involves some deliberation.

This also means that the demands on ad content are different. A sponsored answer in ChatGPT must be informative and aligned with the user's question. Purely promotional texts without added value will perform less well in this format. The quality of the sponsored answer partly determines visibility, similar to how Quality Score works in Google Ads, but based on conversational relevance rather than keyword match.

Why AdBrains experiments first

AdBrains is testing ChatGPT Ads early because our AI infrastructure gives us the flexibility to move fast in an advertising environment that is still finding its shape. Sitting on the sidelines until a platform matures means arriving late, when competition has hardened and prices have gone up.

What we see in practice is that early movers on new ad channels build an advantage that is genuinely hard to close later. The first advertisers to structure real learning cycles on a new platform end up with better-trained campaigns, more historical data and a stronger brand footprint in that interface. We saw this play out with the rollout of Performance Max, and the same pattern is emerging with ChatGPT Ads.

For Clima-Active.nl, which installs air conditioners and heat pumps, ChatGPT is a natural fit. Before requesting a quote, potential clients tend to work through a lot of questions first: installation types, capacity, pricing, subsidies. A sponsored answer that shows up during that conversation, at the exact moment someone is already thinking it through, is a very different thing from a standard search ad.

ToetsJeKennis.nl, an online platform for exams and courses, follows the same reasoning. Students and professionals who are asking how to obtain a specific certificate or which practice exams to use are already mid-conversation, deep in the kind of informational dialogue where a well-placed ad can actually be useful rather than disruptive.

Our experimentation approach

Experimenting with a new advertising channel requires a structured approach, especially when the advertising system of a platform is still heavily under development. AdBrains uses a phased methodology that aligns with our existing AI-driven way of working.

1. Intent analysis: Mapping which conversations are relevant to the brand or product.
2. Answer creation: Writing sponsored answers that are both informative and conversion-oriented.
3. Tracking setup: Configuring server-side tracking and Enhanced Conversions to measure conversion signals accurately.
4. A/B testing of answer variants: Systematically testing which formulations yield the highest click-through rate and conversion.
5. Optimisation cycle: Weekly performance analysis and adjustments based on conversion data.

In the first phase, we map the conversational intent. We analyse which questions users ask in ChatGPT that are relevant to a client's product or service, drawing on available search trend data, autocomplete insights and our own search term mining methodology. This builds a "conversation profile": an overview of the most relevant conversations where a sponsored answer can add value.

In the second phase, we write sponsored answer texts that are both informative and conversion-driven. Writing a Responsive Search Ad (RSA) for Google requires different skills than crafting a ChatGPT ad. Where an RSA works with short, punchy headlines and descriptions, a ChatGPT ad calls for an answer that takes the user's question seriously while offering a clear next step.

In the third phase, our server-side signal enrichment sets up tracking correctly. Because ChatGPT Ads are a relatively new platform, it is extra important to measure conversion signals as completely as possible via server-side tracking and first-party data. Only then can we apply Smart Bidding-like optimisations once the platform enables it.

How AdBrains AI strengthens this approach

AdBrains did not build its AI technology with a single advertising platform in mind. The systems are designed to structurally improve advertising performance across channels, which makes our position on ChatGPT Ads quite different from that of a traditional agency waiting until a platform has matured before it starts testing anything.

Our multi-agent verification system is central here too. Before any decision on budget allocation, ad copy or audience targeting is executed, four independent AI agents have checked it. That matters especially on a new platform like this one, where the established guardrails you'd normally rely on simply don't exist yet. Manual management in that kind of environment invites mistakes.

The RSA improvement system we use to automatically rewrite low-scoring ad texts has been adapted for the ChatGPT format. We look at which answer texts perform best on conversational relevance and rewrite the ones that fall short. Over time this builds a working library of ad formats tuned specifically to how people interact with ChatGPT, rather than how they use a conventional search engine.

The automated search term mining we run daily for Google Ads campaigns feeds into ChatGPT Ads as well. Relevant new search terms picked up in Google Ads get translated into potential conversation topics for ChatGPT. The result is a targeting profile that stays current without requiring any manual research on top of what's already running.

Our Keyword Incubator methodology has a direct equivalent here. New conversation contexts and answer variants are run first in an isolated test environment. They only move to the production set once performance clears our minimum threshold values. Client budgets stay protected while new insights accumulate at pace.

Our server-side signal enrichment rounds this out. The sGTM infrastructure connects first-party client data to ad interactions from ChatGPT, so we can assess traffic quality beyond raw clicks even on a platform this new.

What this means for advertisers

ChatGPT Ads are in 2026 still an emerging channel, but the growth of the ChatGPT user base makes it a serious option for advertisers wanting to reach their audience at the moment that audience is actively gathering information. According to OpenAI (2025), ChatGPT had over 400 million weekly users in early 2025. That number has grown further into 2026, making the platform comparable in reach to major search engines.

Opportunities lie particularly in sectors where the purchase decision is preceded by an extensive information phase. Think of installation companies like Clima-Active.nl, where a customer first researches heat pumps thoroughly before requesting a quote. Or online course providers like HACCP-cursus.com, where potential clients want to understand which certification fits them before enrolling. E-4motion.com, the webshop for new electric folding bikes, is another strong candidate: people considering an electric folding bike for the first time ask detailed questions about battery capacity, folding mechanism, weight and commuting suitability before they buy.

Challenges of a new ad platform

Any honest assessment of ChatGPT Ads has to acknowledge where the platform falls short right now. It's early days, and the tooling simply hasn't caught up with what advertisers are used to on Google Ads or Meta.

• Limited historical data: There's little comparative material to use as a benchmark for performance.
• Evolving ad specifications: Format requirements and targeting options are still being worked out and can shift quickly.
• Conversion attribution: Showing a direct link between ChatGPT Ads and actual conversions demands solid server-side tracking infrastructure.
• User acceptance: How ChatGPT users will react to sponsored answers appearing in their chat interface is still an open question.
• Budget risk without structure: Run experiments without a clear test protocol and budget tends to drain into poorly performing campaigns before anyone notices.

These are real limitations, not theoretical ones. That's exactly why AdBrains takes a structured approach through its verification system and incubator methodology. Both are built for environments where the rules are still being written, so clients can test without putting unnecessary budget on the line.

Manual vs. AI-driven experimentation

Frequently asked questions about ChatGPT Ads

Are ChatGPT Ads already available for advertisers?

ChatGPT Ads are being rolled out gradually by OpenAI in 2026, with availability varying by region and sector. AdBrains has direct contacts and early access to test programmes as an AI-powered agency, allowing our clients to enter earlier than advertisers waiting for the broad rollout. If you want to be among the first to advertise on ChatGPT, now is the time to start building your experiment infrastructure.

How does the ChatGPT Ads audience differ from the Google Ads audience?

The ChatGPT audience in 2026 is on average more highly educated, more technologically skilled and more often in an active orientation phase than the average Google user. This makes ChatGPT Ads particularly suitable for products and services with a longer consideration cycle, such as installation services, online education or premium products. For mass-market impulse products, Google Ads will remain more effective for the foreseeable future.

How do you measure the success of ChatGPT Ads?

Measuring ChatGPT Ads success requires a robust tracking infrastructure, because standard pixel tracking is vulnerable to browser restrictions and ad blockers. AdBrains deploys server-side tracking via our own sGTM infrastructure for all ChatGPT Ads campaigns, supplemented by Enhanced Conversions where available. This allows us to measure not just clicks and page visits, but the full conversion journey from chat conversation to purchase or quote request, enabling ROAS and CPA calculations comparable to the KPIs we use for Google Ads and Meta Ads campaigns.

Is early experimentation with ChatGPT Ads worth the investment?

Early experimentation is worth the investment when done in a structured way. Uncontrolled experiments without a clear test protocol are risky and generate little usable insight. AdBrains' structured approach, with an incubator phase, automated budget monitoring and daily performance analysis, ensures that the learning experiences we gain now are directly actionable when the platform rolls out more broadly. Clients who enter now build an advantage that late entrants cannot simply buy their way into.