Australian businesses risk wasting money on ChatGPT ads by measuring them like Google, agency warns
Multimediax
- ChatGPT advertising has launched in Australia, with Sydney agency Multimediax warning that businesses using standard attribution models will only be able to track around 40 per cent of conversions the channel generates, with the remaining 60 per cent arriving later via branded searches or direct website visits.
- The agency cautions that businesses judging ChatGPT ads the same way they judge Google Ads risk shutting down campaigns that are actually working, simply because the measurement approach fails to capture the channel's full impact.
- Unlike traditional search advertising, ChatGPT ads do not use keyword bidding; instead, advertisers describe the conversational contexts where their product is relevant, with ads appearing in a clearly labelled box beneath the platform's responses.
- Australia is among the first markets in the world to receive ChatGPT ads, which launched in April 2026, followed quickly by a self-serve platform with no minimum spend, making the channel accessible to small and medium-sized businesses.
- Multimediax recommends businesses set up conversion tracking before launching campaigns, monitor branded search and direct traffic for movement, allow several weeks before evaluating performance, and check whether their industry is eligible, as sectors including health, legal, finance, and gambling are currently barred from the platform.
As ChatGPT advertising goes live in Australia, Sydney agency Multimediax says most of the channel’s results are invisible to standard tracking, and businesses that judge it the old way will pull the plug on campaigns that are actually working.
Australian businesses are rushing to advertise on ChatGPT now that the platform has opened to local advertisers, but many are about to draw the wrong conclusions about whether it works, according to digital marketing agency Multimediax.
The warning centres on a measurement problem unique to AI-driven advertising. According to Multimediax’s analysis of early industry and campaign data, only around 40 percent of the conversions ChatGPT ads generate can be tracked directly to the ad. The remaining 60 percent arrive later, when a person who saw an ad mid-conversation cycle returns days or weeks afterwards through a branded Google search or by visiting the advertiser’s website directly.
Measured with a standard attribution model, that hidden 60 percent is credited to other channels or to nothing at all. The risk, Multimediax says, is that businesses look at the directly tracked results, conclude the channel is underperforming, and shut down campaigns that are quietly driving a meaningful share of their search and direct traffic.
“Everyone’s talking about how to get into ChatGPT ads. Not many are talking about how to measure them, and that’s where the money gets lost,” said Najib Raad, Managing Director of Multimediax. “If you judge this channel the way you judge Google Ads, the numbers will lie to you. You’ll see 40 percent of the picture and make a decision as if it’s the whole thing.”
Multimediax is among the first Australian agencies running live ChatGPT ad campaigns, and Najib says the pattern is already showing up in early client activity.
“We’re seeing it in our own campaigns. The direct conversions look modest, but branded search lifts while the ads are running and softens when we pause them. That’s the channel working.”
ChatGPT began showing ads to Australian users in April 2026, making Australia one of the first markets in the world to get them. A self-serve platform with no minimum spend followed within weeks, putting the channel within reach of small and medium businesses rather than only large advertisers. The targeting works differently to traditional search: instead of bidding on keywords, advertisers describe the conversational situations where their product is relevant, and ads appear in a clearly labelled box beneath ChatGPT’s answer.
Najib Raad argues the speed of the roll-out is exactly why caution matters.
“This went from locked behind a $200,000 spend to something you can set up quite quickly. That’s great, but it also means a lot of businesses are launching with no measurement plan and high expectations.
What Multimediax recommends businesses do before spending on ChatGPT ads:
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Set up conversion tracking first. Install measurement before launching, not after, or the early data is lost and the system has nothing to optimise towards.
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Watch branded search and direct traffic. Track whether they lift during campaigns and dip when paused. That movement is the hidden contribution showing itself.
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Give it time before judging. The delayed conversions mean week-one numbers understate the real result. A fair test runs several weeks.
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Check eligibility. Whole industries, including health, legal, finance and gambling, are barred from advertising on the platform.
Multimediax has launched a dedicated ChatGPT Ads management service for Australian businesses, available now.
About Multimediax
Multimediax is a Sydney based digital marketing agency founded in 2001, specialising in integrated digital strategy, SEO, GEO/AEO, paid search, social media, CRM and web design. A Google Premier Partner, placing it in the top 3 percent of agencies in Australia.
Media contact
Najib Raad, Managing Director, Multimediax
[email protected] | (02) 9634 7970 | multimediax.com.au
Notes to editors
Multimediax has published a detailed analysis of the ChatGPT ads attribution gap, including how the channel’s targeting works and how businesses can measure it properly:
Further detail on the agency’s ChatGPT Ads service is available at:
https://www.multimediax.com.au/chatgpt-ads-agency/
ENDS
About us:
Multimediax is a Sydney based digital marketing agency founded in 2001, specialising in integrated digital strategy, SEO, GEO/AEO, paid search, social media, CRM and web design. A Google Premier Partner, placing it in the top 3 percent of agencies in Australia.
Contact details:
Media contact
Najib Raad, Managing Director, Multimediax
[email protected] | (02) 9634 7970 | multimediax.com.au
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