Social Rocket
OpenAI has officially introduced the new features for ChatGPT Ads: Sponsored Agents, AI-assisted campaign creation, new creative tools in the Ads Manager, and integrations with HubSpot and Shopify. This confirms that the format, previously visible only as an early click-to-chat test, is now a product direction – although Sponsored Agents remain a limited test with selected advertisers in the USA for the time being.
Sponsored Agents turn the ad into a conversation
After clicking a relevant ChatGPT ad, users can start a separately labelled conversation with an agent sponsored by the company. There, they can ask questions about products or services; if users want to go further, the agent can link to the company's website.
Important for context: according to OpenAI, the sponsored agent conversation is separate from the independent ChatGPT answers and from the original chat. The format is currently only being tested with selected advertisers in the USA.
This turns the classic ad click into a possible additional funnel step. For brands, it is no longer just about sending traffic to a landing page, but about answering questions and objections within the platform itself. This fits the broader shift we are seeing in ChatGPT recommendations and AI Visibility: visibility in AI interfaces is increasingly becoming part of the purchase decision.
Campaigns can be created and analysed via prompts
At the same time, OpenAI is expanding the operational side of ChatGPT Ads. Advertisers can create, update and analyse campaigns directly in ChatGPT using naturally phrased prompts. OpenAI uses an Ads Manager plugin for this.
A campaign can be prepared from a website or a brief. The system is also meant to make performance data easier to understand and provide recommendations for next steps.
The Ads Manager itself is also getting AI help for creatives. When creating an ad, suggestions for text and visuals can be derived from the landing page and campaign goal. The suggestions do not have to be adopted; OpenAI emphasises that advertisers can review and edit them.
There is also an optional AI-assisted text adjustment. It can adapt existing headlines and descriptions to the context of a conversation and automatically translate ad copy into the user's preferred language.
For media teams, this is another step towards automated campaign production. Similar shifts are already changing budget planning around AI Search and upper-funnel media.
HubSpot and Shopify become direct entry points
OpenAI is also integrating ChatGPT Ads into existing marketing and commerce workflows.
HubSpot can be connected to a ChatGPT Ads account. Companies can create ads there, track performance and continue working on leads in the CRM. OpenAI's Help Center lists campaign, ad, contact, customer and cost data, among others, as available performance levels.
Shopify receives its own ChatGPT Ads app. Products are integrated via the Shopify Catalog, and campaigns can be created and measured directly from Shopify. The launch initially took place in the USA; since 23 September 2026 the app is also meant to be available internationally in markets where ChatGPT Ads are offered.
This is relevant for German companies because OpenAI has enabled self-service access via Ads Manager since 31 August 2026 in the 31 European markets announced earlier, including Germany.
What has changed since the early test
The decisive difference is the official product confirmation. The click-to-chat principle was previously only visible through early tests and media reports. Now OpenAI itself describes:
- Sponsored Agents as a dedicated ad format,
- prompt-based campaign creation and analysis,
- AI suggestions for text and images in Ads Manager,
- context-based text adjustment and automatic translation,
- and HubSpot and Shopify as the first CRM and e-commerce integrations.
This makes ChatGPT Ads much more than a single new placement. OpenAI is simultaneously expanding format, campaign control, creative production and commerce integration.
The measurement question remains central for marketers
The new conversation format can extend the funnel: ad, Sponsored Agent, product advice, website or checkout. As a result, the plain click-through rate becomes even less meaningful.
Useful additional metrics are therefore:
- Share of ad clicks that start an agent conversation,
- qualified conversations rather than mere interactions,
- handoffs to the website or checkout,
- leads and conversions after the conversation,
- and additional lift compared with campaigns without an agent.
The topic resembles developments on other platforms that are also bringing their attribution together more closely – for example Snapchat's Unified Attribution for app advertisers.
No general Sponsored Agent rollout in Germany yet
ChatGPT Ads themselves are available in Germany. According to OpenAI, Sponsored Agents are currently only being tested with selected advertisers in the USA. For Germany, no general launch date for this format has been announced so far.
Marketers should therefore separate two things: the ChatGPT Ads platform can already be booked here, while the new conversational agent is not yet available as a regular placement for everyone.
Sources
- OpenAI: Advertising reimagined with AI
- OpenAI Help Center: Sponsored Agents in ChatGPT Ads
- OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Ads in HubSpot
- OpenAI: ChatGPT Ads expands to Europe
- Social Media Examiner: AI Execution Tips, Professional Quality AI Video, and Industry News
Update from October 5: visual ads, more measurement and brand suitability
OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT Ads with a visual ad format, additional measurement partners and new brand suitability tests. According to OpenAI, the visual format is initially set to be tested later in October in the US with image generation. The ads remain clearly labelled and separate from the generated output.
For measurement, OpenAI is integrating Hightouch, Tealium and LiveRamp for conversion data, among others. Conversion measurement can also run via the OpenAI Pixel and Conversions API. This makes the performance side of the ad product considerably more concrete than in the early tests.
On brand safety, OpenAI is starting pilot projects with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science (IAS). The partners are to evaluate the application of brand safety standards in a controlled test environment, without gaining access to private user conversations. Negative phrases are also available to qualified advertisers for more precise exclusion rules.
This matters for media buyers because it addresses two of the most important open questions at once: independent assessment of the ad environment and a better link between ad exposure and business results. For a broader look at budgets shifting into AI surfaces, see our analysis of AI search and media planning.