OpenAI is launching its largest-ever brand campaign for its flagship product ChatGPT, showing how the AI chatbot is useful in relatable, daily moments.
Debuting today during NFL Primetime, the campaign will run in the U.S. and U.K. across TV, streaming, outdoor, paid social, and influencer partnerships through the end of the year. It is a bigger media investment and appearing on more channels and locations than OpenAI’s first Super Bowl ad in February, said chief marketing officer (CMO) Kate Rouch.
The ads are inspired by real examples of ways people use ChatGPT in their daily lives, from cooking to studying to planning trips. Each scenario features young people, who are “some of our most creative, proactive users,” Rouch said.
One spot depicts a young man turning to ChatGPT to find a recipe to impress a new romantic partner, while in another, a man seeks fitness tips. A third ad shows siblings using ChatGPT to plan a road trip. Additional films will roll out later this year.
“We’re showing their stories in ways that others can see and connect with,” said Rouch. “Our goal is for people to look at these moments and think, ‘this is for me.’”
A different creative approach
The new campaign reflects a creative shift from OpenAI’s Super Bowl ad, which used a pointillism-inspired animation style to illustrate technological innovations, like airplanes and television, that preceded ChatGPT.
“That was our first big message: that this is happening faster than people realize, and OpenAI is at the frontier of that innovation,” Rouch said.
Now, as AI breaks into the mainstream, OpenAI wants to demonstrate how it is “connecting with people on a human level,” said Michael Tabtabai, vice president of creative. “It sets the intention for how we want to show up as a brand: with humanity, creativity, and a clear focus on people.”
The goal was that “the work feels both inspirational and grounded in real usage, making ChatGPT something people want to be part of,” Rouch added.
Despite promoting an AI tool, human craft was central to the campaign. OpenAI’s in-house creative team developed it with agency Isle of Any, director Miles Jay shot the films on 35mm through production company Smuggler, and photographer Samuel Bradley and stylist Heidi Bivens worked on the outdoor ads. The media agency was PHD.
However, the teams used ChatGPT as a “co-creator” during the campaign development, said Zach Stubenvoll, executive creative director of OpenAI.
“This helped us expand our thinking, brainstorm new characters, and became a critical part of the spot itself,” he added.
Cultural marketing
OpenAI, one of the leading AI startups, began pushing into mainstream marketing after hiring Rouch from cryptocurrency firm Coinbase as its first CMO in December. It also appointed Tabtabai as its first global creative leader in August.
After the Super Bowl commercial, the brand ran ads targeting college students and forged sports partnerships with U.S. teams and leagues, including Chip Ganassi Racing.
OpenAI is also staffing up to expand ChatGPT’s marketing reach and build in-house ad infrastructure, ADWEEK reported last week.
Since its release in November 2022, ChatGPT hit 700 million weekly active users as of August, up from 500 million in March.
OpenAI’s annual recurring revenue reached $13 billion in August, up from $10 billion in June, with the company on track to surpass $20 billion by the end of the year.