European advertisers can now access Ads Manager, a self-service platform for creating and managing advertising campaigns, similar to Google Ads or Meta Ads. The feature was launched simultaneously across 31 European markets on August 24, 2026, following an initial American rollout in February 2026, which was limited to users of free and Go offers. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, opened access to all American advertisers on May 5, 2026, removing a previous minimum spending threshold of $50,000. Europe followed six months later. Advertisers can now target specific geographic regions, web platforms, iOS and Android devices, and use various bidding strategies, including maximum cost per click (CPC), cost per thousand impressions (CPM), or smart bidding. Features include tracking conversions after a click or view, and managing campaigns directly from the Ads Manager interface. Ads appear in a distinct block labeled "Sponsored" within ChatGPT responses. These ads are contextual recommendations, displayed as cards with a title, description, image, and a link to the advertiser's website, appearing when a user is considering options or making a decision. Targeting is based on "context hints" rather than keywords, allowing advertisers to describe the conversations they wish to reach without knowing the volume of potential users. A bidding system similar to Google's Quality Score determines relevance, ensuring the most relevant ad wins, regardless of the bid amount. Only one ad appears per conversation, and overly broad targeting yields no results. OpenAI emphasizes that ChatGPT responses remain independent of advertisers, and user personal data is not sold to third parties. In Europe, targeting is strictly contextual at launch, focusing on the current conversation, language, and approximate geolocation, without personalization based on user history unless explicit consent is given. The cost per click (CPC) for ChatGPT ads ranges between $3 and $5, slightly higher than Google Search. The cost per thousand impressions (CPM) is significantly higher than that of Meta and TikTok, with a range of $25 to $45 per thousand impressions. Advertisers are advised to spend $50 to $100 per day over 2 to 3 weeks to collect enough data. Two purchasing models are available: CPM for visibility-focused campaigns and CPC for performance-focused ones. The Ads Manager interface provides a competitiveness indicator to help advertisers adjust their bids effectively. A cautionary note is that discrepancies have been observed between the clicks reported in the dashboard and the sessions actually recorded by analytics tools, with some advertisers reporting 120 clicks for only 8 recorded sessions. This channel is evaluated as part of a broader marketing strategy rather than attributing conversions solely to the last click. For a travel agency, a structural limitation is the exclusion of high-value users who are more likely to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus or Pro, as only users of free and Go offers see advertisements. Travelers with high average spending on long-distance trips are precisely the ones who are more likely to be using a paid subscription. This makes the most profitable target for a specialized travel agency structurally under-represented in the available advertising inventory. Contextual targeting without behavioral data changes the way advertisers approach audience acquisition. It is not possible to target users based on their past visits to a specific page, such as a Brazil travel page. Instead, an ad appears only if the user's current conversation is about traveling to Brazil. This constraint requires a rethinking of targeting strategies, focusing on specific use cases and problems expressed by travelers rather than their browsing behavior. Structuring "context hints" from the narrowest to the broadest, starting with specific use cases and then comparing destinations, yields better results. Documented tests show click-through rates ranging from 1.15% to 2.4% depending on the targeting precision. The structure of ad groups is the only reporting tool available in Ads Manager: there is no reporting by placement. The channel works better for mass e-commerce than for customized travel. Documented cases to date involve brands such as Best Buy, Lowe's, and VistaPrint. Experience reports on high-end travel and long-distance tours are still rare. This does not mean the channel is ineffective for this segment, but it still needs to be proven. Before launching campaigns, advertisers are advised to install the ChatGPT pixel and the Conversions API before the first campaign, not after. Setting UTM parameters on each ad group is necessary to ensure that ChatGPT traffic is visible in analytics, rather than being categorized as "Direct." Launching multiple ad groups with distinct context hints from the start helps identify configurations that perform well. Structuring the groups finely is essential since they are the only reporting tool. Working in parallel on organic visibility in ChatGPT responses, known as GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), is also recommended. This visibility is not purchased and influences the relevance of future paid campaigns. For B2C agencies, the channel is accessible, and the mechanics are understandable, with initial learnings likely to provide value. It is advised to install the pixel before launching, set UTM parameters, finely structure context hints, and document everything thoroughly. For agencies that prefer to wait for concrete experience reports before committing a budget, this is also a reasonable position. For B2B agencies, seminars, or business tourism, professionals who are active on ChatGPT are largely using paid subscriptions and do not see advertisements. Therefore, the target is not currently available in the advertising inventory. An additional factor to consider before allocating a budget is the integration of Google's own AI mode directly into search results. This integration is expected to accelerate, as Google offers a native conversational experience within its search engine. Some users who previously used ChatGPT as a research tool may return to Google, where they have their habits, histories, and connected accounts. The ChatGPT audience, already limited to free users for advertisers, could shrink further due to this direct competition. This is an additional parameter to consider when allocating a budget. In any case, do not deduct funds from your Google Ads budget to fund this test. Google remains the only channel where travel purchase intent is captured precisely and on a large scale in France. ChatGPT Ads adds to it, but it does not replace it.