ChatGPT is soon to launch a new way to get in front of your customers. OpenAI has started rolling out ads across the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with the UK expected to follow.
In a study of 500 questions asked across the mobile app, roughly one in every five queries triggered a sponsored ad, appearing as a clickable website link at the bottom of ChatGPT’s response and matched to the topic of the conversation.
Our Vancouver-based sister agency is navigating this update right now, and here’s what we recommend you start thinking about before it arrives in the UK.
How ChatGPT Ads Work
Before we get sector-specific, here’s what we know about how the ads function:
- Ads appear only on the free and Go tiers, and paid (Plus) subscribers don’t see them.
- They show as website link buttons beneath the AI’s answer.
- Targeting is based on conversation topics, previous chats and ChatGPT’s stored memory about the user.
- OpenAI states that ad content does not influence ChatGPT’s answers.
- Early data shows low ad dismissal rates and no measurable drop in user trust.
It’s also worth flagging that when a user mentions a brand by name, like asking ChatGPT to compare two hotel chains, the ad that appears can sometimes be from a direct competitor.
This is a tactic already well-established in Google Ads (bidding on competitor keywords), and now it’s also in AI. We see this as both a potential threat to be aware of and an opportunity to get ahead of the competition.
What ChatGPT Ads Mean for Your Sector
Destinations & Tourism
Travel queries are where ChatGPT ads showed up most frequently in early US testing. When the tester asked for help planning a trip to Palm Springs, a booking.com ad appeared that automatically searched for hotels in that location.
This is a significant development for destinations and resorts, with potential customers already increasingly turning to ChatGPT to plan their trips. “What’s there to do in the Lake District in April?” or “Best places to stay in North Cornwall” are the kind of queries that will soon trigger ads here too.
If a potential customer is asking AI about a destination or experience you offer, a competitor could be the one whose ad appears. Building a presence in AI and understanding how ChatGPT selects and serves ads will be crucial.
Food & Beverage
Food and drink queries are generally more conversational, which leads to a likelihood of them using AI to search for the answer. Someone asking “where should I eat in Edinburgh this weekend” or “best craft beer subscription UK” could soon see a sponsored result alongside ChatGPT’s suggestions.
For food and beverage brands, there’s an opportunity here to show up first and build recognition. On the other hand, it’s a chance for a competitor to intercept traffic from relevant searches, even when you’re being cited in the answer on ChatGPT. It’s worth having an awareness of this tactic and a plan to counteract it.
Outdoor Industry
Consumers in the outdoor space are thorough researchers; they ask detailed questions and compare options carefully. They’re also increasingly likely to use AI tools to do so.
In the US testing, sporting and activity-related queries regularly surfaced sponsored results. Questions like “What’s the best waterproof jacket for hillwalking?” or “What are the beginner mountain biking routes in Wales?” are exactly the type of intent-driven queries that advertisers want to appear for.
Outdoor industry brands that invest in strong AI visibility will have an edge, both through paid channels, when they open, and through content that AI tools reference organically. Consider what questions your customers ask before they buy and whether your brand is showing up for those answers.
Retail
ChatGPT ads for the retail industry have the clearest parallel to existing search advertising, with a couple of new factors to consider.
At the moment, Google serves ads based on a searched keyword, while ChatGPT will be serving ads based on a longer conversation, including what you asked previously and what the AI has remembered about your preferences.
E-commerce businesses and physical retailers alike should be thinking about product feed readiness, brand clarity and how they’d want to appear in an AI-driven ad format.
How to Access ChatGPT Ads
Right now, getting in front of ChatGPT’s audience as an advertiser isn’t straightforward. The minimum commitment for the current pilot sits at around £148,000, and it’s approximately £45 per 1,000 ad impressions.
However, self-serve capabilities are expected to launch this month, and this is when we see it becoming a valuable (and more affordable) ad tool that the broader market can capitalise on.
For UK businesses, the practical step right now is to register interest at openai.com/advertisers/ and keep a budget pencilled in for testing when UK access opens.
As for who you’d be reaching, the audience for ChatGPT ads will likely be young adults, based on OpenAI’s research study of consumer usage.
The study found that 58% of adults under 30 use ChatGPT’s consumer plans. These younger users generate a significant share of activity, with nearly half of all messages coming from people under 26.
How to Audit Your AI Visibility
While we’re currently awaiting ChatGPT ads to arrive in the UK, here’s one thing every business should do to prepare. Open ChatGPT and work through prompts like these to see what comes back:
- “What is the best [your product/service category] in [your region]?”
- “Compare [your brand] and [main competitor].”
- “What should I look for when buying [what you sell]?”
- “Which [your sector] brands are most recommended in the UK?”
Is your brand mentioned? When it is, is the description accurate and positive? When it isn’t, who’s appearing instead of you? Are your competitors being recommended in categories where you should be?
A strong result looks like your brand being cited by name with accurate detail about what you offer. A weak result is when you’re simply not referenced, or there’s a vague, generic mention with no real information.
If you find gaps, we recommend creating content that directly answers the questions your customers are asking AI tools. That means FAQ pages, comparison content and clear “best for” positioning that gives ChatGPT something credible to draw on.
Make sure your brand is mentioned on third-party sites that AI tools treat as authoritative, such as press coverage, industry directories and review platforms. And make your website content unambiguous about what you do, who you serve and where you operate.
Run this audit now, document what you find, and run it again in three months. This will tell you whether your AI visibility is improving.
What Should You Do Right Now?
Here’s a recap of what to focus on in the coming months:
- Audit your AI visibility. Search for your brand, your products and your key services in ChatGPT. Are you being referenced? Are competitors showing up instead of you?
- Think about intent-based content. The questions your customers ask AI tools are the questions your content should be answering.
- Monitor the UK rollout. When ChatGPT ads land here, early access and early testing will give you a competitive head start.
- Talk to your marketing agency. This is a fast-moving space. If you’re not already having conversations about AI search and AI advertising, now’s the time.
At Marwick Marketing, we’re already helping businesses navigate the new era of AI search. If you’d like to explore how AI-driven advertising could benefit you, please get in touch with our team.
