In this op-ed, Phil Ohren, CEO & co-founder of Intender highlights the move of GPT ads going from being an industry rumour to a market reality. He believes if your first question is ‘What keywords should we target?’, you’re asking the wrong question.
ChatGPT has officially entered the media mix.
OpenAI’s Ads Manager Beta now includes campaign creation, billing, access management and reporting, with advertisers able to run campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. Ads are also now appearing for ChatGPT Free and Go users in Australia and New Zealand.
The predictable response will be to ask the same question the industry asked when search advertising emerged: What keywords should we target?
But that’s the wrong question.
GPT Ads are not built around keywords. They are built around conversations. People use AI to ask for help, explore problems and seek advice before they know exactly what product, service or category they need.
The brands that win will not be the ones that target what people say. They’ll be the ones that understand what people mean.
People do not talk to AI in keywords
A family looking for a seven-seat SUV may never mention SUVs.
Instead, they might say: “Our third child is on the way and suddenly nothing fits in the car.”
Or: “Every weekend we need two cars because we can’t fit the kids, the dog and all the gear.”
Same intent. Different language.
For two decades, digital advertising has been built around signals like search terms, audience segments and browsing behaviour. Those signals still matter, but AI introduces something more powerful: context.
People don’t interact with AI using keywords. They describe circumstances, frustrations and goals.
The commercial opportunity often emerges before the obvious keyword appears.
A bank should think beyond “home loan” to the couple wondering whether rent is rising faster than their ability to save for a deposit.
An insurance brand should think beyond “life insurance” to the new parent suddenly feeling responsible for someone else’s future.
A B2B software company should think beyond “CRM platform” to the sales leader realising their pipeline forecast is fiction.
In each case, the signal exists before the search.
The new media unit is the moment
If GPT Ads scale, the winners will be the brands that understand real-world context better than their competitors.
A customer moment might be a homeowner comparing renovation options before requesting quotes, a marketing leader trying to understand why performance has stalled, a consumer deciding which financial provider they can trust.
These moments matter because they sit before the transaction. They are where people define the problem, compare options and decide who feels credible.
That’s why GPT Ads should not be treated as a small experimental item on the media plan, but prompt marketers to ask a bigger question:
Where are our customers asking for help before they make a decision?
What marketers should do next
First, stop briefing GPT Ads like search campaigns. Start with customer context, not keywords.
Ask:
- What situation makes our product or service relevant?
- What would a customer ask before they need us?
- How can our brand be genuinely useful in that moment?
Second, bring teams together earlier.
Paid media, SEO, content, brand and conversion teams need a shared understanding of the customer. In an AI environment, people don’t care which department
owns the answer – they just want help.
Third, measure quality, not just volume. Don’t just ask whether GPT Ads drive clicks. Ask whether they drive more informed prospects, stronger engagement and higher-quality demand.
Context will expose weak strategy
This is where some brands will struggle. Many organisations still operate with different teams working from different assumptions about the customer. In a conversational environment, those disconnects become obvious.
The ad, content, landing page and follow-up experience all need to reflect the same customer reality.
Generic copy won’t cut it. Neither will a keyword list dressed up as an AI strategy.
The brands that succeed will understand the situation behind the query – what customers are trying to solve, what concerns they have and what information they need next.
The future belongs to brands that understand meaning
The first wave of GPT Ads will probably resemble the early days of search: broad targeting, recycled copy and campaigns built around obvious keywords.
That won’t last. GPT Ads are not just a new channel. They’re a signal of where advertising is heading: towards context, intent and usefulness.
By all means, test GPT Ads. But test them properly.
Start with the customer moment. Build around the situation. Connect the message, content and
landing experience.
Because the future of advertising won’t belong to the brands that simply target what people say.
It will belong to the brands that understand what people mean.
