Topic hub

# ChatGPT ads and AI search advertising: Alex Melen's talks, data and explainers

Alex Melen speaks on advertising inside AI answers: the paid placements now appearing in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity. His view, from SmartSites' early pilots across its client base, is that these placements are discovery media rather than search media, that cost per lead rather than cost per click is the number to watch, and that marketers should run small structured tests now so they have a measurement framework before budgets move.

[Book Alex on this topic](https://www.alexmelen.com/contact/)[The signature talk](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#ai-ads)

Signature talk AI search advertising

## Advertising Inside the Answer: Preparing for ChatGPT Ads and the AI Search Ad Economy

How ads work inside ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, where early adopters are winning and where brands are wasting spend, and a practical testing and measurement framework for a channel with no traditional SERP.

**For:** Heads of marketing, paid media leaders, agency teams **Format:** Keynote · Breakout · Executive briefing

Watch Video: [Why Ecommerce Teams Need to Prepare for AI Shopping Now @ The FODcast by Simply Commerce Online · Oct 6, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PmJJ8Uu3g0)

Video: [Advertising Inside the Answer: Preparing for ChatGPT Ads and the AI Search Ad Economy @ Technology for Marketing / eCommerce Expo London 2026 London, UK · Sep 23, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjQWBx4Q5g8)

Video: [Ranking on AI Search, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) @ eCommerce Expo London London, UK · Sep 25, 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSrfy3Ec8FI)

Key facts
- Signature talk: Advertising Inside the Answer: Preparing for ChatGPT Ads and the AI Search Ad Economy
- Presented on the AI-Powered Marketing Stage at Technology for Marketing / eCommerce Expo London, September 2026 (video, transcript and slides on this site)
- Covered in chapter form in Automotive Search Marketing (2nd ed.): AI search and your ad dollars
- Explainer: How ChatGPT ads work

Other topics
- [AI Search & Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/ai-search-geo/)
- [Automotive Dealer Marketing: SEO, PPC, VLAs & AI Search](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/automotive/)
- [Scaling an Agency & Using Generative AI to Run It](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/agency-scaling/)

Read

## Chapters and explainers.

[Free chapter 14 ChatGPT Ads and Advertising Inside AI Answers: What Dealers Need to Know](https://www.alexmelen.com/book/chapters/chatgpt-ads-and-ai-search-advertising/)[Explainer How do ChatGPT ads work? ChatGPT ads are sponsored placements that OpenAI shows to free-tier users alongside an AI answer, clearly separated from the answer itself and limited to one advertiser per result.](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/how-chatgpt-ads-work/)

Talks and interviews

## 4 sessions on this topic.

[All engagements](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#archive)

- Oct 6, 2026

[Why Ecommerce Teams Need to Prepare for AI Shopping Now @ The FODcast by Simply Commerce](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/why-ecommerce-teams-need-to-prepare-for-ai-shopping-now-fodcast/) Podcast Video

Online
- Sep 23, 2026

[Advertising Inside the Answer: Preparing for ChatGPT Ads and the AI Search Ad Economy @ Technology for Marketing / eCommerce Expo London 2026](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/advertising-inside-the-answer-chatgpt-ads-ai-search-ad-economy-technology-for-marketing-2026/) Transcript Slides

London, UK
- May 20, 2026

[Turning Next-Gen Ad Formats into Marketplace Advantage @ AutosBuzz 2026](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/turning-next-gen-ad-formats-into-marketplace-advantage-autosbuzz-2026/) Slides

Sitges, Spain
- Sep 25, 2025

[Ranking on AI Search, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) @ eCommerce Expo London](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/ranking-on-ai-search-generative-engine-optimization-geo-alex-melen-ecommerce-expo-london/) Transcript Slides

London, UK

Press and articles

## In print on this topic.

[All press](https://www.alexmelen.com/press/)

- Oct 7, 2026

[FODcast Takeaway: Why AI Search and Agentic Shopping Are Changing the Rules of Digital Commerce](https://simply-commerce.co.uk/fodcast-takeaway-why-ai-search-and-agentic-shopping-are-changing-the-rules-of-digital-commerce/)

Questions

## Frequently asked

**Are ChatGPT ads worth testing yet?**

Alex's advice is to test with a small, capped budget and a clear measurement plan rather than wait: the inventory is new, the auction is thin, and the teams that learn the placement early will set budgets with data when the channel matures.

**How do you measure ads inside AI answers?**

Treat them like discovery media: track assisted conversions and cost per lead in GA4 with clean UTM tagging, compare against your existing search and social benchmarks, and expect attribution to be partial because many AI clicks arrive as direct traffic.

## Want this topic in your program?

Alex builds every session for the room. Send the event, audience and dates and he will come back with a proposed talk.

[Check availability](https://www.alexmelen.com/contact/)
[Speaker kit](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#kit)

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Source: https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/chatgpt-ads/ · Markdown version of this page for AI agents and LLMs. Site guide: https://www.alexmelen.com/llms.txt