OpenAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) company behind ChatGPT, is set to make its Super Bowl ad debut this year, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
A commercial during Super Bowl 59, which this year fetched upwards of $8 million for 30 seconds of air time, would mark the company’s biggest advertising moment since its founding in 2015.
The move comes after OpenAI appointed its first chief marketing officer (CMO), Kate Rouch, in December, signaling a bigger focus on marketing.
Rouch was previously the CMO of cryptocurrency firm Coinbase, where she oversaw global marketing and PR. She was behind its 2022 Super Bowl ad that grabbed attention for featuring a colored QR code bouncing against a black background. Before that, she spent more than 11 years at Meta.
This week, ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday (Feb. 9), OpenAI underwent its first rebrand with a new logo and typeface.
OpenAI has begun setting the stage for a transformative 2025. Since launching ChatGPT in 2022, its valuation has increased to $157 billion. Looking to remain the AI market leader, it has recruited top advertising talent from Google and Meta, launched a search-integrated ChatGPT, and explored ad revenue streams.
AI will be a theme at this year’s Super Bowl. Google Workspace is making its Big Game debut with a campaign spotlighting its AI tools, while GoDaddy is also pitching its AI tools in its Super Bowl ad.
Yet previous ad campaigns featuring AI have often fallen flat with consumers. For example, in November, Coca-Cola received backlash for remaking its classic holiday ad with generative AI, while Google also sparked ire with its “Dear Sydney” Olympics ad spotlighting the tech.
ADWEEK contacted OpenAI about its Super Bowl plans but did not receive a response by publication time.
