OpenAI’s ambitious marketing campaigns for ChatGPT are failing to connect with consumers despite significant investment in high-production advertising, according to new research from marketing effectiveness firm System1 Group. The company’s recent ad push, featuring relatable scenarios of people using ChatGPT for everyday challenges, has tested poorly with consumer panels and demonstrates the broader challenges facing AI companies in building effective brand recognition.
OpenAI Advertising Strategy Misses the Mark
The marketing effort represents OpenAI’s most significant advertising push to date, with spots like “Dish” and “Pull Up” depicting young men using ChatGPT to navigate social and fitness situations. Despite professional production quality and placement during high-profile events like NFL Primetime, the ads have scored remarkably low in consumer testing. According to Adweek’s reporting, both campaigns ranked in the bottom fifth for both long-term growth potential and immediate sales impact.
Consumer Research Methodology Reveals Emotional Disconnect
System1 Group employed sophisticated testing methodologies to evaluate the ChatGPT advertisements, measuring panelists’ emotional responses using psychologist Paul Ekman’s framework of universal emotions. Their proprietary tools captured second-by-second reactions from US consumers, revealing significant shortcomings in how the ads communicate brand identity and value proposition. The research methodology has been widely adopted across the advertising industry to predict commercial success.
Key findings from the consumer testing include:
- Low brand recognition throughout most of the ad duration
- Minimal emotional engagement across key metrics
- Poor scores for both short-term and long-term effectiveness
- Generic storytelling that fails to distinguish ChatGPT from competitors
ChatGPT Branding Challenges in AI Marketing
The research highlights particular challenges in technology advertising, where companies often struggle to translate complex capabilities into compelling consumer narratives. As System1’s analysis noted about the “Pull Up” advertisement: “It underweights distinctive assets and mid-ad branding, so it risks becoming a likeable, generic ‘AI-helped me’ story rather than a memorable ChatGPT ad that builds future sales.” This reflects broader industry patterns where marketing research consistently shows tech companies underperforming in advertising effectiveness.
Strategic Implications for AI Industry Marketing
The poor performance of OpenAI’s campaigns carries significant implications for the broader artificial intelligence sector. As companies race to establish consumer trust and brand recognition, effective communication becomes increasingly critical. The disconnect between production quality and consumer impact suggests that even well-funded advertising strategies can fail without proper audience understanding and brand integration.
This challenge extends beyond consumer applications to other sectors adopting AI technology. Recent analysis of artificial intelligence in healthcare shows similar communication challenges in explaining complex technology benefits to end users. Meanwhile, as noted in related technology policy coverage, global competition in AI development continues to intensify, making effective market positioning increasingly important.
Path Forward for Effective AI Marketing
For OpenAI and other AI companies seeking to improve their marketing effectiveness, the research suggests several critical adjustments needed:
- Earlier and clearer brand integration throughout advertisements
- Stronger emotional storytelling that connects with specific consumer needs
- Distinctive brand assets that differentiate from generic AI narratives
- Continuous testing and optimization based on consumer feedback
The findings serve as a cautionary tale for technology companies investing heavily in advertising without sufficient attention to fundamental marketing principles and consumer response measurement.
