ChatGPT: A New Advertising Channel for Brands
A few years ago, when a user asked, “What is the best coffee machine?”, they would most likely search for the answer on a search engine. They would go through dozens of links, read product reviews, check comparison websites, scan user comments, and try to make a decision based on information gathered from different sources.
Today, however, the answer to the same question is increasingly being sought through AI-powered chat platforms. The user receives a single recommendation, understands the reasoning behind it, and often continues their purchase journey from there.
This shift does not only represent a change in user behavior. It also reshapes the touchpoints where brands can become visible.
That is why Criteo being one of the first ad-tech partners integrated into OpenAI’s advertising pilot program within ChatGPT is an important development for the industry. For the first time, advertising is becoming part of a conversational experience that sits at the center of the user’s decision-making process.
Your Customer Is No Longer Searching. They Are Conversing.
Today, users are no longer only making short searches such as “What is the best phone?” Instead, they are asking much more detailed questions such as “Which phone would you recommend for taking photos?”, “Which adults-only hotels are good in Bodrum?” or “Which running shoes are suitable for someone who is just starting to run?”
This behavioral shift is also changing the purchase journey.
According to Criteo’s global research, 63% of users use AI-powered assistants for product discovery, while 53% use them for product comparison. In other words, users complete a significant part of their product research within the chat interface and often arrive at an e-commerce site already knowing what they are looking for.
For brands, this means the priority is no longer only driving more traffic. It is about reaching high-intent users at the right moment.
How Do ChatGPT Ads Work?
The advertising experience in ChatGPT offers a different structure from the banner ads or traditional search ads we are used to.
Ads are shown in a way that does not interrupt the user experience, aligns with the context of the conversation, and is clearly labeled as sponsored content. This allows users to continue accessing the information they are looking for, while relevant products or brands can be discovered in a more natural way.
This approach also creates a different competitive environment for brands.
Of course, budget remains important. However, visibility is not only determined by higher ad spend. The freshness of product catalogs, the accuracy of product information, and the quality of commercial signals also play a decisive role in advertising performance.
In conversational advertising, the goal is to deliver the most relevant recommendation to the user at the right time.
Where Does Criteo Fit Into This Process?
The emergence of a new advertising channel is important. But what matters just as much is how brands will integrate this channel into their existing marketing strategies.
One of the key values Criteo offers is its ability to bring the commerce ecosystem it has built over the years into new platforms like ChatGPT. Thanks to its broad network of retailers, brands, and publishers, Criteo’s commerce data and AI-powered optimization technologies help brands benefit from this new advertising experience more efficiently.
The first advantage of this approach is operational ease. Brands already using Criteo’s infrastructure can adapt to ChatGPT ads more quickly by using their existing product catalogs and campaign structures, instead of building a new technology setup from scratch. This reduces the need for long integration processes when testing a new channel.
Another key advantage is commerce intelligence. Delivering the right product recommendation on platforms like ChatGPT depends on the accurate management of commercial data such as stock availability, pricing, category information, and product attributes. Criteo helps brands appear in front of users with more relevant products by optimizing this data in real time.
Criteo also provides a more unified approach on the measurement side. One of the most important questions for brands investing in a new advertising channel is how that investment translates into performance. Being able to analyze results from ChatGPT together with other digital campaigns makes it easier for marketing teams to evaluate data from different platforms through a single performance lens.
Data security is another important aspect of this process. While the product information required for ad delivery is used, brands’ first-party customer data remains protected. This allows companies to move into a new advertising channel without compromising their existing data governance standards.
In short, Criteo does not only offer brands a new advertising space. Through commerce data, AI optimization, and performance-driven technologies, it enables them to adapt to this new ecosystem faster and with greater control.
Why Now?
The early stages of new platforms always create an important learning opportunity.
The experience gained today on platforms like ChatGPT provides valuable advantages in understanding which product information drives more engagement, which categories stand out, and how users shape their purchase decisions.
Waiting is, of course, an option.
However, when we look at the history of digital marketing, we have seen similar examples before. Brands that invested in SEO early gained an advantage in organic visibility. Those that adopted retail media early captured new revenue opportunities faster. It would not be surprising to see a similar process unfold in AI-powered advertising.
Moreover, this is not limited to ChatGPT alone. As conversational AI experiences become more widespread, similar advertising models are expected to emerge across different AI platforms as well. The experience gained today will help brands enter future ecosystems more prepared.
Conclusion
Users’ habits around accessing information and discovering products are changing. As AI-powered chat platforms become an important part of the purchase journey, they are also creating new advertising opportunities for brands.
In the near future, alongside SEO, performance marketing, and retail media strategies, AI Conversation Strategy will become one of the core areas of digital marketing.
The collaboration between Criteo and OpenAI stands out as one of the first concrete steps in this transformation. For brands, the critical question is no longer whether they should be present on AI-powered platforms, but how prepared they are for this new advertising channel.
The right steps taken today can help brands secure a stronger position in tomorrow’s digital advertising ecosystem.
