Adthena Tracks Surge in ChatGPT Ad Placements
Adthena's Holiday AI Paid Search Report finds ChatGPT ad placements climbing past 200,000 as advertisers pile into AI-driven search.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
Live Poll
Do you plan to buy holiday gifts after seeing ads in ChatGPT or Google AI answers?
Adthena released its Holiday AI Paid Search Report, tracking 204,489 ChatGPT ad placements between June and September 2026. The ChatGPT advertiser base grew nearly sixfold in two months, with apparel, consumer electronics, and travel driving about 95% of placements.
Why it matters
The figures suggest advertisers are rapidly shifting budget toward AI-powered search surfaces, where ads appear alongside early-stage research queries. Adthena's data points to AI platforms becoming a meaningful new channel in paid search.
Adthena's tracking covers June through September 2026, comparing ChatGPT placements against Google's AI Overviews growth rates across three regions. The report does not disclose the dollar value of the ChatGPT ad spend behind those placements.
The players
Adthena
Adthena is a London-based search intelligence company that monitors paid and AI-powered search across Google and ChatGPT.
OpenAI
OpenAI is the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, which began selling advertising placements to brands.
The details
Adthena analyzed paid search activity across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, and traditional Google Search. Toys and games was the fastest-growing ChatGPT advertising category, while 83% of beauty ads and 69% of travel ads appeared against early-stage research queries.
Timeline
June 2026: Adthena begins tracking ChatGPT ad placements.
September 2026: Tracking period for the report ends.
November 4, 2026: Adthena releases its Holiday AI Paid Search Report.
Black Friday 2026: Expected test of ChatGPT shopping ad performance.
2027: Adthena predicts ChatGPT ads will be a standard search budget line item.
Tech Race
The growth of ad placements inside ChatGPT follows the path Google set with AI Overviews, which has already expanded paid placements into AI-generated results. Rival AI platforms are now competing for the same advertiser budgets that Google built its search business on.
Shoppers searching for apparel, electronics or travel may increasingly encounter sponsored ChatGPT results during early research. Brands that ignore AI search surfaces risk losing visibility where consumers begin comparing products.
The takeaway
Advertisers planning holiday budgets should account for AI search surfaces, where ads reach shoppers during early research. Tracking placement performance in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews now matters as much as traditional search metrics.
What happens next
Black Friday 2026 is expected to test how ChatGPT shopping ads perform for retailers, a result advertisers and Adthena will be watching closely.
Further reading
For broader context on how AI platforms are reshaping search, see Artificial Intelligence.
More information
Read the complete Adthena Holiday AI Paid Search Report for the full placement data.
Live Poll
Do you plan to buy holiday gifts after seeing ads in ChatGPT or Google AI answers?
