Adform, a global digital media advertising technology company, has become one of the technology partners for the roll out of ChatGPT Ads in Europe. Volkswagen and Vodafone have already begun their first tests with Dutch advertisers and media agencies currently able to run ChatGPT ads using the same advertising infrastructure they have already implemented for existing digital campaigns.
Going forward, advertisers and marketers will be better placed to see how advertising on ChatGPT contributes to their overall marketing performance. Adform will enable teams to compare the performance of ChatGPT Ads with other digital channels, including display advertising and social media.
The goal is to understand where and how ChatGPT fits into the customer journey, helping marketers measure whether AI conversations are actively helping move customers from discovery through to conversion.
Katja Henneveld, Country Manager Benelux and France at Adform, spoke on how AI is changing the ways consumers collect information on products and services before making purchasing decisions, citing that this “creates a new moment for advertisers to be relevant.”
Integrating ads into ChatGPT not only provides a new channel for reaching customers, but also helps marketing teams understand how ChatGPT advertising contributes to their wider marketing campaigns.
Volkswagen and Vodafone trial ChatGPT ads
Volkswagen has begun trialling ChatGPT ads to find out how the brand can evolve with changing consumer behaviours. Petter Mååg, Digital Media & Online Sales Manager at Volkswagen, commented, “With ChatGPT Ads, we are investigating how we can have a relevant presence in this new environment, complementing our existing media deployment.”
Vodafone is focusing on its channel performance within the entire customer journey, rather than examining whether the advertising channel generates clicks or conversions. Marian Hanke, Senior Online Marketing Manager at Vodafone, believes the data from current campaign measurement and ChatGPT ads could help with future deployment. “We can test ChatGPT Ads and link the results to our broader campaign measurement. That gives us the insights we need to determine how we want to scale up further.”
ChatGPT Ads introduced to 31 European markets
In August, OpenAI announced it was expanding its ChatGPT Ads throughout Europe after testing in the U.S. earlier in 2026. With an expansion in countries such as Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Austria, advertisers can now access ChatGPT Ads via the OpenAI Ads Solutions teams, technology partners, and agency partners.
OpenAI has positioned advertising as a key way to support access to ChatGPT, particularly for users on free and lower-cost plans. The company explained “Ads help advance our mission to democratise access to the best AI by supporting free and low-cost access to ChatGPT. As in our existing markets, ads will be shown only to users on the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscriptions will remain ad-free.”
The European rollout gives marketers another opportunity to understand how advertising within AI conversations fits into their wider media strategies.
ChatGPT Ads allows users to search in a conversational way. OpenAI said, “Instead of entering a few keywords, people can explain what they want to accomplish, what matters to them, and the constraints they face.” As a result, the entire advertising experience can be shaped around the specific context and intent expressed by the user.
Ads conversations confidential
OpenAI has declared that all conversations within ChatGPT ads will be kept private from advertisers and customer data will never be sold.
OpenAI said, “Ads in ChatGPT are always clearly labeled and separate from ChatGPT’s answers, and advertising does not influence the answers ChatGPT provides. People also have control over ad personalisation, with ad-free paid plans available for those who prefer not to see ads.”
AI-powered ads can benefit both customers and advertisers. For consumers, these ads can help them research and discover exactly what they are searching for, and businesses can connect with consumers based on their interests and needs.
OpenAI has continued to develop its ChatGPT Ads platform since its launch in February 2026, expanding beyond CPM and CPC bidding to now include conversion optimisation. The company has also introduced geo-targeting and custom audiences, so marketers have greater options in the hunt for relevant customers.
Measurement has also increased past clicks through the OpenAI Pixel, Conversions API and third-party measurement integrations. The goal is to give advertisers a clearer picture of how ChatGPT Ads aid business outcomes and align with other media strategies.
With tens of thousands of marketers now reportedly advertising on ChatGPT, advertising within AI conversations is gaining traction, something that will be discussed by experts at DMWF’s upcoming Amsterdam conference.
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