Consumer research behavior is transitioning from traditional search engine results pages to conversational AI interfaces. In fact, 79% of US adults report using AI “constantly” or several times a day, showing that audience behavior favors AI adoption. Recognizing this opportunity, ChatGPT entered the ring earlier this year as a new paid media channel, launching AI search advertising to all businesses. Click Rain joined the first wave of marketers evaluating this new tactic for our internal initiatives and our partner, Experience Sioux Falls.
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As a brand-new channel, ChatGPT advertising lacked established best practices, conversion benchmarks, and proven ROI metrics. There was no baseline of KPIs or past analytics to guide our campaign strategies.
Therefore, our first goal was simply to understand ChatGPT as an advertising platform, not an LLM. We created test campaigns to evaluate the channel and determine whether to include it in future marketing recommendations.
We placed early ads for Experience Sioux Falls (B2C sales) and our internal initiatives (B2B sales) to test performance, establish benchmarks, and uncover other client applications.
Our trial campaigns looked for insights in these key areas:
Strategic Alignment: What are the KPIs for both consumer destination marketing and B2B lead generation? We evaluated metrics like conversions, visitor guide views, traffic quality, and engagement rates to see where the numbers fell to determine if an AI search campaign was successful.
Ad Variant Testing: We aligned our ads with conversational search queries and tested messaging hooks such as "Planning Your Trip" vs. "Find Your Travel Inspiration." We tested three distinct copy angles to see which phrasing resonated best with AI users. That helped us decide what messaging to use going forward.
Cross-Channel Monitoring: We integrated in-platform ChatGPT metrics with Google Analytics 4 data to measure on-site session duration, scroll depth, and post-click engagement within AI-prompted user workflows. This showed us which ads gained traction and what users were most likely to engage with on the website, helping us structure future ads.
We saw platform mechanics, targeting capabilities, and audience engagement in real time, and we could compare metrics for each ad to spot patterns.
The biggest takeaway? Directness wins.
We strategically placed ads beneath objective, AI-generated itineraries to provide an immediate next step (like downloading the Visitor Guide or exploring relevant travel articles) for travelers exploring open-ended travel queries in ChatGPT. And we found that ads with clear, problem-solving copy and specific calls to action performed far better than broad, inspirational messaging.
Across the two campaigns we delivered:
Over 191k impressions
0.65% CTR — 1200x higher than display banners benchmark
28.45% conversion rate — 701x higher than paid search benchmarks
We’re really just at the ground floor of AI search advertising. With ChatGPT currently leading the charge as the primary platform testing ads, we can expect a steady wave of new channels, ad formats, and tactics to roll out in the near future.
Ready to join the wave of AI search advertising? Reach out to our team to strategize your introduction to this latest tactic.
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