April 14, 2026
Advertising in ChatGPT: The Next Frontier of Intent-Based Marketing

Advertising, as we know it, has functioned by interrupting consumers’ attention or by targeting keyword-based search intent. Conversational AI changes that narrative. When a user asks a question in ChatGPT or gives it a prompt, they are describing a nuanced situation rather than using incomplete sentences or random keywords. When AI populates a result, it has already synthesized information, and the advertising opportunities fall within that synthesis. 

This opens the door for sponsored posts to align directly with what the user is searching for. For the companies and brands advertising in ChatGPT, this can lead to higher conversion rates because the results are closely matched to user intent. While conversational AI may not deliver the same volume of impressions as social platforms, it offers something more valuable in many cases: focused intent. Many AI interactions occur in moments of research, evaluation, or decision-making. Users turn to AI for product comparisons, workflow solutions, vendor recommendations, or strategic advice. These are high-intent interactions that often sit lower in the funnel, where influence has a greater impact. Advertising in ChatGPT is therefore less about broad reach and more about delivering relevance at the moment of intent.

Strategically, brands should begin prepping for this shift. As conversational AI becomes embedded in everyday workflows, discovery will increasingly happen through dialogue rather than scrolling or searching. The future of advertising in ChatGPT lies where attention meets intent. 

There is another layer to this worth thinking about. As people’s use of AI grows, some will naturally gravitate towards a specific LLM. That repeated use begins to build innate trust and influence. So the AI starts to function less like a search engine and more like a trusted advisor or an influencer.

When sponsored recommendations are delivered within a trusted AI interaction, they can take on qualities similar to influencer marketing. Rather than feeling like a traditional ad, the suggestion is embedded within a response the user already trusts. This creates a more subtle, but arguably more powerful, form of influence. As a result, brands will need to think not only about relevance and timing, but also about how their presence aligns with the trust users place in these systems. As AI trust grows, so does the potential impact of advertising within the platform.

March 25, 2026
What a Pirate Chick Taught Me About AI and Marketing

The other day, my 6-year-old and I were doing a little art project together when he gave me a very specific request: “Dad, we need a picture of a baby chick dressed as a pirate.”

“Yeah, sure,” I responded, no questions asked. “Let me whip that up for you.”

30 seconds later, I had this to share with him:

“That’s perfect, thanks!”

Was the skull-and-crossbones image a little off? Sure.

Would the chick have commanded more piratey vibes had it been wearing an eye patch? You bet, but I deserve the blame there for not mentioning that in my prompt.

That’s when that little Pirate Chick taught me a valuable lesson: AI makes is easy, but it doesn’t necessarily make it great.

AI has lowered the entry barrier for so many creative services, from illustration to script writing to animation and motion design – the list goes on and on. As a marketer on the agency side, the rise of AI capabilities initially felt threatening, but after rolling up my sleeves and digging in, I’ll be the first to admit that I love what AI is doing for the industry.

Mostly, that is.

On the one hand, it’s making our output better, faster, and more efficient. Giving folks a marketing toolkit with a far greater breadth than ever before = amazing.

Lowering the creative barrier to entry to the point where AI slop dominates online video placements and social media threads = worse than the supposed skull-and-crossbones adorning that little pirate chick’s headband.

So yes, AI is making it easier than ever to crank out marketing materials at record speed. But easier doesn’t automatically mean better, and it doesn’t mean you can skip the fundamentals.

Just because there’s a 10-minute YouTube tutorial on rewiring a circuit board doesn’t mean you should grab a screwdriver and start poking around. The same logic applies here.

Before diving headfirst into production, there are some critical things to get right. Who are you talking to? What are you trying to achieve? What’s the message? Where is it going to live? Skip those steps and your campaign might look polished on the surface, but underneath it’ll feel disjointed, forgettable, or worse: completely off-target.

Then there’s the AI question itself.

Not every piece of content benefits from looking like it was generated in 30 seconds, because, well, sometimes it shows. When your goal is to build trust, credibility, or an emotional connection, that “AI sheen” can work against you. If the audience instantly clocks it as synthetic, you’re asking them to emotionally invest in something that already feels a little… disposable.

That doesn’t mean avoid AI. It just means use it with intention, because the difference between “this is amazing” and “this is AI slop” isn’t the tool – it’s the thinking behind it.