Rather than building an open marketplace, OpenAI has created an exclusive environment where only brands with serious budgets can experiment at scale.
The early movers are already testing. The question is: will your brand adapt fast enough to compete in this new frontier?
What the $200K Minimum Really Means
According to reporting from Adweek, OpenAI is asking advertisers to commit between $200,000 and $250,000 to participate in the ChatGPT ads beta. The platform officially launched ads on February 9, 2026, with early beta campaigns now live for select US advertisers. At a reported $60 cost per thousand impressions (CPM), this places ChatGPT inventory alongside premium media such as NFL broadcasts and Super Bowl advertising.
This isn't a barrier designed to exclude small brands; it's a filter to ensure early adopters can afford to experiment at scale. OpenAI is deliberately building a controlled, high-quality advertising environment from day one, not a race-to-the-bottom marketplace flooded with low-intent advertisers.
The strategic calculation is clear: if advertisers see positive returns during this beta phase, it validates the premium pricing model. If they don't renew, OpenAI learns what needs adjusting before wider rollout. For participating brands, the $200,000 spend isn't just about adsit's about securing a 12-18 month head start in an environment where over 800 million weekly active users are already turning to ChatGPT for recommendations.
Why AI Platforms Are Betting on Premium Advertising
Traditional digital advertising has long operated on volume, reach millions of impressions, optimise toward conversion, and scale from there. AI platforms like ChatGPT are betting on something different: high-intent, high-value interactions.
When a user asks ChatGPT for product recommendations, travel advice, or business solutions, they're not idly scrolling. They're actively seeking answers. This is fundamentally different from interruption-based advertising on social media or even traditional Google search, where ads compete for attention against organic results.
By charging premium rates and setting high minimums, OpenAI is signaling that ChatGPT ads won't follow the Google or Meta playbook. There's no spray-and-pray here. Instead, it's a curated environment where attention is already engaged and context is rich.
The brands that can play in this space early have an opportunity to define how AI-native advertising evolves. But the real question is whether the ad formats will respect the user experience or ruin it.
The Shift from Search to AI-Driven Discovery
Search as we've known it is changing. Consumers are no longer clicking through traditional Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Instead, they're asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews for recommendations and synthesised answers.
This shift redefines what "intent" means. Traditional search intent was measured by keywords and click-through rates. AI-driven discovery is contextual, conversational, and synthesised from multiple sources. Users aren't evaluating a list of ten blue links they're receiving tailored responses where brand visibility is either embedded in the answer or absent entirely.
For marketers still optimising solely for traditional SEO, this poses a challenge. Search is no longer the primary discovery layer. AI platforms are. And if your brand isn't showing up in these AI-generated experiences, it may as well be invisible.
This is where the conversation shifts from paid advertising to organic AI visibility and why Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is becoming essential.
How Brands Can Prepare: Enter Generative Engine Optimisation
While ChatGPT ads represent a paid opportunity, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) represents the organic counterpart. GEO is the practice of positioning your brand and content so that AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Claude cite, recommend, or mention you when users search for answers.
Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on ranking in search results, GEO focuses on being cited, trusted, and reused by generative AI systems. This requires a fundamental shift in content strategy:
- Structure for scannability AI models prefer clear, structured information with short paragraphs, descriptive headings, and bullet points.
- Establish authority through third-party mentions Research shows AI platforms trust third-party sources more than brand-owned content.
- Optimise for conversational queries AI search understands natural language and context, so content must answer real questions directly.
At Push, we've been preparing clients for this shift for three years. AI-first marketing isn't about replacing your media mix; it's about understanding where attention is moving and building strategies that work inside AI-generated experiences, not just beside them.
The brands investing in GEO now will dominate AI search visibility, ensuring their names appear in AI-generated recommendations long before competitors realise the game has changed.
The Brands That Will Win Aren't the Biggest, They're the Fastest
OpenAI's $200,000 minimum creates a clear market segmentation. For enterprise brands with experimental budgets, it's a worthwhile investment to secure early learning and competitive advantage. For mid-market brands, it's a signal to focus on GEO and build AI visibility through earned media and content optimisationpreparing for the moment when ChatGPT ads become more accessible.
But here's the critical insight: the brands that will win in the next 12 months won't be the ones spending the most. They'll be the ones who adapt the fastest.
If you're still treating AI as a future consideration rather than a present priority, you're already behind. Traditional media buying needs to evolve. Search is no longer the primary discovery layer. And the cost of entry to premium AI advertising environments is only going to increase.
The first wave of ChatGPT advertisers will shape how AI-native advertising evolves. The brands that invest in GEO now will control organic AI visibility. And the marketers who understand both paid and organic AI strategies will define the next era of performance marketing.
The question isn't whether you should rethink your media strategy. It's whether you're prepared to move fast enough to stay ahead.
