Client: IMS Ad Agency (internal campaign)
Platform: ChatGPT Ads
Market: South Africa
Campaign launch: 23 October 2026
Latest reporting period: 26 October–1 November 2026
Cumulative reporting period: 23 October–1 November 2026
Updated: 2 November 2026
The Challenge
As AI-powered platforms become another way for businesses to discover and evaluate service providers, IMS wanted first-hand experience of advertising within ChatGPT. We set out to test whether contextually relevant ad placements could introduce our digital marketing services to prospective customers, drive website visits and generate measurable enquiries.
Rather than relying on assumptions about an emerging advertising channel, we decided to test it using our own business, track performance and refine our approach using the results.
Our Approach
IMS launched a South African ChatGPT advertising campaign focused on six service areas:
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Website Design & Development
- Google Ads Management
- Social Media Management
- Data & Analytics
- Digital Strategy
Each service has a dedicated ad group with contextual signals reflecting the business challenges prospective clients might be researching. Multiple ad creatives allow us to evaluate different propositions and messages. The campaign uses a R600 daily campaign budget and a clicks objective.
Our approach is built around conversational relevance: reaching potential clients as they research needs and evaluate solutions, rather than relying exclusively on conventional search keywords. Ad selection remains subject to ChatGPT’s placement eligibility and delivery mechanisms.
Conversion Tracking & Measurement
IMS configured conversion tracking for contact-form submissions on its website. Our Gravity Forms implementation redirects successful submissions to a thank-you page, which is used as the conversion point for the lead_created event. This measurement framework complements existing Google Ads tracking and allows us to evaluate enquiries attributed to ChatGPT ad interactions.
The tracking is now recording attributed results. From launch through 1 November, Ads Manager reported 10 click-through-attributed lead_created events, including 8 during the latest reporting week. These represent tracked lead events, not independently verified qualified enquiries or sales. We will review lead quality and downstream sales outcomes as the campaign develops.
Latest Weekly Results: 26 October–1 November 2026
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Impressions | 32,435 |
| Clicks | 1,016 |
| Click-through rate | 3.13% |
| Advertising spend | R4,246.28 |
| Average cost per click | R4.18 |
Attributed lead_created conversions |
8 |
| Cost per attributed lead | R530.79 |
Daily performance
| Date | Impressions | Clicks | CTR | Spend | CPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 October | 3,655 | 128 | 3.50% | R617.47 | R4.82 |
| 27 October | 4,053 | 128 | 3.16% | R603.86 | R4.72 |
| 28 October | 3,818 | 88 | 2.30% | R683.14 | R7.76 |
| 29 October | 5,566 | 180 | 3.23% | R630.12 | R3.50 |
| 30 October | 6,400 | 207 | 3.23% | R554.66 | R2.68 |
| 31 October | 4,552 | 151 | 3.32% | R493.52 | R3.27 |
| 1 November | 4,391 | 134 | 3.05% | R663.51 | R4.95 |
Cumulative Results Since Launch: 23 October–1 November 2026
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Impressions | 36,835 |
| Clicks | 1,125 |
| Click-through rate | 3.05% |
| Advertising spend | R5,819.93 |
| Average cost per click | R5.17 |
Attributed lead_created conversions |
10 |
| Cost per attributed lead | R581.99 |
What We’re Learning
The campaign has moved beyond initial proof of delivery to measurable traffic and attributed lead activity. Its average CPC fell from R15.37 during the opening three days (23–25 October) to R4.18 during the latest week, while the weekly CTR reached 3.13%. This is a promising early improvement in traffic acquisition efficiency, though it does not on its own establish lead quality, profitability or future performance.
The next step is to review which service groups and creatives are producing valuable enquiries, assess the quality of the leads, and optimise for commercially meaningful outcomes rather than clicks alone.
Looking Ahead
At IMS, we believe effective digital marketing means being discoverable wherever customers research and evaluate solutions — across search engines, social channels and AI-powered conversations.
Testing ChatGPT advertising on our own business gives us practical experience with campaign structure, contextual relevance, creative experimentation and conversion measurement. We can use these learnings to make more informed recommendations as the channel evolves.
IMS Ad Agency — Create an Unfair Advantage.
Reporting note: Performance covers completed South African calendar days. Week: 26 October–1 November 2026; cumulative: 23 October–1 November 2026. Conversion figures are based on Ads Manager’s 30-day click-through and 1-day view-through attribution windows, reported by ad-interaction date. All 10 goal conversions reported were click-through. The conversion event is lead_created; it does not establish lead quality or closed sales. Recent conversion counts may change as attribution is processed, and finalized advertising spend may lag other metrics. Weekly and cumulative CPC, CTR and cost per lead are calculated from reported totals and rounded.
