OpenAI shipped self-serve ad tools for ChatGPT this week, dropping the previous $50,000 minimum spend and adding cost-per-click bidding. The new Ads Manager (beta, US only) lets businesses upload ads, set budgets, manage campaigns, and track conversions through pixel-based measurement and a Conversions API.
CPC bids are running $3-5, positioning ChatGPT ads as a challenger to Google's search network. The platform now tracks purchases, sign-ups, and leads after users interact with ads. OpenAI says advertisers get aggregated performance data without access to individual conversations.
The timing matters: ChatGPT hit 400 million weekly users by mid-2025, and OpenAI is projecting over $11 billion in revenue for 2025. The ad product could add meaningful numbers to that, but right now it is early. The company is leaning on agency partnerships with Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis, and WPP, plus adtech firms like Pacvue and StackAdapt, rather than building a massive internal ad sales team.
What this means for ANZ sales teams
ANZ access is limited. No self-serve for local advertisers yet, and OpenAI has roughly 20-30 employees across Sydney and Melbourne, mostly engineering and partnerships. Sales outreach here runs through the agency partners.
If you are selling martech, adtech, or anything that competes with Google Ads, this is worth tracking. Conversational search changes intent signals. Users asking ChatGPT "what CRM should I use" are in a different mindset than Googling it. Early movers in conversational ad formats could find an edge before the platform gets crowded.
For B2B sales teams: the self-serve launch means lower barriers to testing ChatGPT ads for lead gen. If your ICP is asking product questions in ChatGPT, you can now bid on those queries without a $50k commit. Conversion tracking through API means you can tie spend to pipeline, not just impressions.
Worth noting: OpenAI has no dedicated CRO, and sales team size sits around 200-300 globally. The ad product is scaling through partnerships, not internal headcount. That could mean slower enterprise sales cycles in ANZ compared to US markets.