Seven months after OpenAI launched ChatGPT ads, advertisers are curious, but most aren’t spending much. According to Digiday, the main thing holding them back is measurement.

The ChatGPT Ads Measurement Problem

Advertisers and agencies told Digiday about several gaps in how ChatGPT ads are measured:

• Delayed conversion tracking: Conversion data takes 24–36 hours to show up. Google reports it within hours.
• Click discrepancies: One agency’s platform reported about 100 clicks, but its own tracking counted 20.
• Limited reporting: There’s no demographic or prompt-level data.
• Unpredictable inventory: Delivery can swing from week to week.

There’s also a catch-22. OpenAI needs advertisers’ conversion data to improve measurement. But many advertisers won’t turn on conversion tracking or upload customer lists because of OpenAI’s strict data terms. Even advertisers who do participate are rolling out the Conversions API slowly.

Why It Matters for Budgets

The gap shows up in spend. One executive told Digiday that clients spending $10 million a month on Google are putting less than $100,000 a month into ChatGPT. Other test budgets are stuck between £10,000 and £20,000 until performance can be verified.

There are some good signs. Advertisers can now optimize toward CPA instead of just clicks. OpenAI has also partnered with mobile measurement providers AppsFlyer and Adjust. Still, smaller third-party measurement integrations remain limited.

Mile Marker’s Take: Set Your Measurement Before the Test

Monica Shukla, VP of Biddable Centre of Excellence at Mile Marker, says brands shouldn’t take platform-first metrics at face value: 

“One of the things I feel is important, is to establish what our measurement is going to look like before the test, and then go back to it to define your KPIs, instead of just using the platform-first metrics and data at face value.”

This applies to every new AI platform. When a platform’s own reporting is incomplete or delayed, brands need an independent way to check results. That means:

1. Define KPIs before launch. Decide what success looks like before you spend.
2. Validate with your own data. Compare platform numbers against your first-party data and third-party measurement.
3. Judge performance across channels. Look at how ChatGPT ads fit into your whole media mix, not just in isolation.

ChatGPT ads are one of the most talked-about AI advertising trends of the year. For now, they belong in a measured test, not at the center of your strategy. Brands that grow will be the ones with an omnichannel strategy and a unified data layer that shows what’s working at every level of the funnel.

Read the full article on Digiday.

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