Another day, another ChatGPT Ads update from OpenAI.
The company has officially rolled out a public advertising site at ads.openai.com, giving would-be ChatGPT advertisers a direct path to create an account, access its Ads Manager and start building campaigns. The page was spotted on X by @alimukadam.
The site offers one of the clearest looks yet at how OpenAI is pitching ChatGPT to advertisers. Its core sell: reach consumers while they’re actively exploring options, comparing products and making decisions, and use the context from those conversations to deliver more relevant ads.
Why This Matters:
It’s a bit of a basic update, but a public ads site makes the ChatGPT ads business look much more like an actual business — and ad platform. It follows another “basic” but very useful update from earlier this month, the launch of Custom Audiences.
The site also offers some interesting language around OpenAI’s messaging, value proposition and targeting. OpenAI explicitly pitches ChatGPT as going “beyond keywords with richer context signals.” Unlike search, where advertisers may have only a handful of words to determine intent, ChatGPT users can offer up substantially more context about what they want, what they’re considering and why.
Experts React:
The page includes testimonials from early advertisers, including Best Buy, Lowe’s and VistaPrint. Here’s what Best Buy VP of Media Amy Adams had to say:
“Consumers are increasingly turning to platforms like ChatGPT to research and make decisions, so it’s important that we show up in those moments—helping customers explore and discover the latest technology. We’re encouraged by the early results and see this as an important way to stay relevant and top of mind.”
Our Take:
The most interesting thing here isn’t the website. It’s how OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT advertising: intent PLUS context.
Google built an enormous ads business around knowing what someone searches for. Meta did it around knowing who someone is and what they’re interested in. OpenAI’s pitch is that ChatGPT can understand what someone is trying to do or accomplish, giving advertisers a very different — and obviously extremely valuable — signal to work with.
At the same time, there are understandable questions about whether OpenAI can hit its ambitious ad revenue projections, which are central to the company’s IPO plans, as well as outstanding concerns around ad tracking and measurement. Building out the fundamentals of an actual ad platform — including a dedicated website (!) — is another step toward getting there and making sure buyers feel confident.
