This new advertising space isn’t just emerging alongside AI responses. Above all, it’s changing the way brands engage with customer intent.
After years in which digital marketing was dominated by Google Ads and social media, a new advertising space is emerging. ChatGPT Ads are now available to Czech advertisers too and represent one of the most interesting developments of recent years. Not because they are set to replace existing channels, but because they offer a different way of addressing customer needs and decision-making.
Advertising is changing. So are users.
In traditional search, people enter short queries, such as ‘running shoes’, ‘heat pump price’ or ‘laptop under 30,000 Kč’. In ChatGPT, however, they often describe the whole situation: “I’m looking for a laptop for frequent travel, working with photos and long battery life.” The AI thus gathers more purchasing criteria during a single conversation than a single search query usually contains. ChatGPT Ads therefore work with the context and intent of the conversation, not just a short keyword.
How ChatGPT Ads work
The advert does not appear directly within the AI’s response. It is displayed below it as visually distinct and labelled sponsored content. The selection of the advert may take into account the context of the conversation, the advert copy, the landing page and the campaign settings. The ChatGPT response and the paid layer remain separate.
What formats are available
The basic format is a static advert with a headline, short description, image and destination URL. For online shops, product adverts linked to a feed are important, as the system selects relevant products from this feed based on context. In addition, more prominent image formats with their own CTA are also being tested. The availability of individual variants may change from time to time.
Forget traditional targeting
The biggest difference compared to established platforms lies in the targeting settings. In Google Ads, you work with keywords; in ChatGPT Ads, you work with audience segments, interests and demographics. In ChatGPT Ads, ‘context hints’ play an important role – these are descriptions of topics, situations and types of conversations in which a product might be relevant. It’s not about exact matches or fixed rules. It’s a guide that helps the system understand when an offer might be helpful to a user.
The landing page is part of the targeting
The system does not just evaluate the ad text; it also takes the landing page content into account. A generic homepage may therefore not be the best choice. Thematic or product-specific landing pages that directly address the user’s query and situation make more sense. The quality of the website and its content thus becomes a common foundation for SEO, GEO and paid advertising in AI.
Budget and purchasing method
According to initial information, Czech campaigns can be tested with a relatively low daily budget. The platform offers objectives focused on reach, clicks and conversions. Given that the system is still evolving rapidly, it is necessary to verify the current minimum investment, bidding and available features directly in the advertising account before preparing a media plan.
Tracking must be set up before launch
It is essential to set up tracking before the campaign begins in order to evaluate its performance. In addition to UTM parameters, you can use the OpenAI Pixel and the Conversions API. Without proper tracking of traffic and conversions, it will not be possible to fairly compare this new channel with Google Ads, social media or other performance sources.
What the platform is currently lacking
ChatGPT Ads also have limitations. At present, advertisers cannot see the exact conversations or topics that triggered an advert. Reporting is less detailed than with mature advertising systems, and working with custom audiences may present a high barrier to entry for smaller Czech businesses. Furthermore, the rules, supported categories and how feeds are handled are subject to change. The initial phase will therefore primarily involve testing, measurement and gradual learning.
ChatGPT Ads are no substitute for Google
Google Search captures users who are already actively searching for a specific solution. Meta is able to generate demand and inspiration even when users aren’t looking for anything specific. ChatGPT can fill the gap between these two extremes: the moment when a user describes a problem, compares options and seeks recommendations. It is precisely this decision-making phase that is strategically interesting from a brand’s perspective.
Paid and organic visibility are two distinct disciplines
Advertising alone does not guarantee that a brand will appear in ChatGPT’s organic response. Similarly, an organic mention does not automatically mean an advert will be displayed. However, both layers come together on a single screen. It therefore makes sense to combine paid testing with AI Visibility and GEO – in other words, with efforts to ensure that the AI correctly understands the brand, its products and its content.
What the first test should look like
· Check how the brand appears in the AI’s responses to important customer questions.
· Select several specific situations and purchase motivations, not just general product categories.
· Prepare themed landing pages and high-quality product data.
· Set up UTM parameters, conversion tracking and data verification in analytics.
· Test multiple variants of context hints, such as key terms, full questions and situation descriptions.
· Allocate a separate testing budget and do not automatically draw it from existing campaigns.
Mindsquared’s perspective
We do not view ChatGPT Ads as an isolated advertising channel. They form part of a broader shift in which people are moving away from searching solely using keywords and are increasingly describing their specific situations to AI. Brands must therefore address two issues simultaneously: how to feature in the responses provided by AI assistants, and how to make the most of the paid advertising space surrounding these responses.
Companies that get started early can gain valuable insights into this new way customers make decisions. However, the most important factor will not be the launch of the campaign itself. What will make the difference is the quality of the content, the readiness of the website, measurement, and the brand’s ability to be relevant at the very moment the customer is looking for a solution.
Would you like to check how prepared your brand is for AI search and ChatGPT Ads? Mindsquared combines AI Visibility, GEO, data strategy and paid media into a single, measurable pilot.
Editor’s note: Features, terms and conditions, and the availability of advertising formats are subject to change. Before publication, we recommend checking the current status of the platform and updating the date of the last update.
