OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Ads, Spends Brand Budgets Slower Than Netflix Buffering
KEY POINTS
- •OpenAI launched ChatGPT ads pilot on February 9 with some brands committing over $200,000 each.
- •Advertisers report slow spending and receive weekly performance updates as CSV files without real-time data access.
- •Brands like Best Buy and Target highlight growing website traffic but want more ad customization options.
OpenAI kicked off its ChatGPT ad pilot on February 9, promising brands like Best Buy, Target, and Albertsons a future where robot chats recommend your shopping bingers. With brands pledging at least $200,000 each, you’d expect a blitzkrieg, but instead OpenAI’s spending is moving slower than a dial-up modem, leaving advertisers asking, 'Where’s my money, robot overlords?' Best Buy’s CEO Corie Barry is 'exploring' OpenAI partnerships while Target brags about 40% monthly traffic growth—proof robots are at least good for window shopping. OpenAI tops it off by sending weekly CSV reports instead of real-time dashboards, apparently bringing 2006 vibes to 2026 marketing. Meanwhile, ad execs like Phillip Thune and Will Swayne plead for more customization as ads slowly awake from hibernation, all while OpenAI nervously tiptoes around user trust and government scandals. Ads in a chatbot now, but hurry up, we need inspiration to justify paying rent.
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(1 of 3)OpenAI’s ChatGPT ads spend brand budgets at glacial paces but will gladly email you ancient CSV reports—nothing says future tech like 1990s data delivery.
ChatGPT ad rollout is so slow even dial-up internet is calling it lazy. Brands paid $200K and got snagged in the buffering hellscape.
Selling ads on ChatGPT means paying a premium for emails with CSV files. For $200,000 you too can experience spreadsheet marketing from the Stone Age.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 3/11/2026 | Author: Lara O'Reilly
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