Digiday Daily

May 06, 2026

So here’s something: OpenAI execs (who are posturing ChatGPT as a “a different kind of a place”) wants to attract marketers’ experimental ad dollars — and not dollars from search. What gives?

With conversion tracking only just launching, it has no robust way to show marketers what happens after someone clicks on an ad. Imagine that pitch going up against Google search.

TOP STORY

Marketing on Platforms

‘Maybe ChatGPT is a different kind of a place’: Why OpenAI is saying no to search budgets — for now

OpenAI is coming for performance budgets — it just isn’t ready yet.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW

The Digiday Content Marketing Awards deadline has been extended, giving you more time to showcase the campaigns, strategies and content innovations that set you apart. Submit by 11:59 p.m. PT on Friday, May 8 to be considered.
As publishers are on the hook to deliver a smooth, reliable ad experience to massive, simultaneous global audiences, the only way to hit this kind of scale is with programmatic advertising. Partner insights from Google Ad Manager.
As retail media and programmatic spend surge, independent agencies are juggling more platforms, more data and more expectations. As a result, execution is becoming the biggest risk to performance and retention. Partner insights from Pathlabs.

MARKETING

Zero-click Future

‘CPC pain is real’: One year on, Google’s AI Max has pushed up search budgets – and costs

Advertisers are devoting more cash to search due to rising costs and zero-click traffic concerns.

Marketing on Platforms

OpenAI opens up ChatGPT ads manager to the U.S. while promising third-party measurement, CPA bidding

To bring in smaller advertisers, Open has also dropped its $50,000 minimum spend requirement.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CONTENTFUL

AI investments are shifting from generation to workflow automation and intelligence

According to a new survey from Contentful and Benchmarker, 70%–85% of companies plan to increase investment in AI, primarily in workflow automation and AI analytics.

Beyond Ads

Marketers at Possible adjust to the realities of AI while trying to stay human

Digiday caught up with a raft of executives from across marketing (Geico and Maybelline), agencies (Mediaplus, CROING), content (1440) and research (Marketcast).

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM OPTABLE

Why cross-platform measurement is key to optimizing in real time

Forty-four percent of publishers hope agentic adoption will result in direct advertiser relationships. Before publishers can truly benefit from agentic AI, they must become agent-ready with a strong data foundation and a robust identity infrastructure.

MEDIA & PLATFORMS

Retail Media Rewritten

How Ace Hardware built its employee AI assistant

Ace Hardware executives took a careful approach in designing and implementing its new AI assistant to work throughout the chain.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM AUDIOEYE