ChatGPT Ads launched in Malaysia on September 23, 2026. Within days, agencies across the country started positioning themselves as ChatGPT Ads specialists. Some genuinely are. Most are rebranding existing services with new language and hoping you do not ask too many questions.
This matters because ChatGPT Ads is not Google Ads or Meta Ads with a different interface. The targeting works differently, the creative format works differently, the measurement works differently, and the landing page strategy works differently. An agency that treats it like a familiar channel will get you familiar results — on an unfamiliar platform where early data is scarce and mistakes are expensive.
This post is a practical guide for Malaysian business owners and marketing directors who are evaluating agencies to run their ChatGPT Ads. Here is what to look for, what red flags to watch for, and what questions to ask before you sign anything.
Why ChatGPT Ads Requires a Different Kind of Agency
Most agencies have years of accumulated knowledge on Google and Meta. They know what a Quality Score is, how to structure a Meta campaign hierarchy, when to use broad match, and how to read an attribution report. None of that knowledge transfers cleanly to ChatGPT Ads.
| What You're Used To | Google / Meta Ads | ChatGPT Ads |
|---|---|---|
| How Targeting Works | Keywords or audiences that you choose | Hints of context — written descriptions of the conversations where your ad would fit |
| Creative Writing | Headlines, descriptions, CTAs optimised for clicks | 16–24 character title and 32–48 character description, which reflects user's research moment |
| Performance Metrics | CTR, ROAS, CPA compared with historical data | Early-stage metrics with no benchmarks — a need for a completely different paradigm to interpret them |
| Landing Page Requirements | Convert the user who is ready to take action | Answer the research question that the user was just asking ChatGPT |
| Optimisation Techniques | Bid adjustments, audience exclusion, creative testing | Changing context hints, optimising research to landing experience and testing ad copy character by character |
An agency that says to you that ChatGPT Ads is "basically the same as search, just in a chat interface" is telling you that they have not worked on it. The logic of targeting, creative requirements, and users' mindset are completely different here.
6 Things to Look for in a ChatGPT Ads Agency
Red Flags to Watch For
The ChatGPT Ads category is new enough that agencies can make almost any claim without being challenged on it. Here is what should immediately give you pause:
- "It is basically like Google Ads but in a chat interface" — this is the clearest sign an agency has not actually worked on the platform. The targeting model is completely different.
- Guaranteed results before any data exists — promising specific CPL, CTR, or ROAS for a platform that has been live in Malaysia for less than two weeks is not confidence, it is fabrication.
- No mention of context hints — if the agency pitches ChatGPT Ads without explaining what context hints are and how they write them, they are not operating on the actual platform.
- No landing page strategy — running traffic to a generic homepage from a mid-research user is money wasted. If the agency does not raise this, they do not understand the user journey on ChatGPT.
- "We have AI expertise" as a general claim — this is not the same as having run a ChatGPT Ads campaign. Almost every agency claims AI expertise. Very few have set up a live account.
- Bundling ChatGPT Ads into a general retainer without a dedicated brief — ChatGPT Ads requires its own strategy, its own creative process, and its own performance framework. Adding it as a line item to an existing retainer without a dedicated workstream means it will not get the attention it needs.
Questions to Ask Any Agency Before Hiring Them
Use these in your agency evaluation conversations. A capable agency will have clear, specific answers. An agency that is winging it will give you vague answers or pivot to their general AI credentials.
Can you show me a ChatGPT Ads campaign you have set up — including the campaign structure, ad groups, and context hints?
Write me a context hint for my business right now. Walk me through your thinking.
What does success look like in the first 30 days on a platform with no historical benchmarks?
How will you structure the landing page for ChatGPT traffic, and how is it different from our current Google Ads landing pages?
How does ChatGPT Ads fit into our existing Meta and Google campaign strategy — what does the full funnel look like?
How will you handle Malay and Mandarin language adaptation for our Malaysian audience?
What does your reporting look like — what metrics will you show us, and at what frequency?
The self-serve Ads Manager is accessible enough that a business can set up their own ChatGPT campaign without an agency. If your business is comfortable managing its own Meta or Google Ads, it is worth starting with a small self-serve test at ads.openai.com before committing to an agency retainer. You will learn more from running your first campaign than from any pitch deck.
Do You Actually Need an Agency for ChatGPT Ads?
Honest answer: not always. Here is how to decide.
You currently manage your own Meta or Google Ads self-serve
Start self-serve firstThe Ads Manager UI is understandable. Test it yourself before paying an agency to do something you may be comfortable managing in-house.
You already work with an agency on Meta or Google Ads and want to add ChatGPT
Ask your existing agency firstIf they genuinely have ChatGPT Ads experience, keeping the strategy integrated can be easier. If not, use the evaluation questions above before expanding the scope.
You want ChatGPT Ads set up correctly from the start
Hire an expertContext hint strategy, landing page briefing, and early performance interpretation require specialist thinking that is difficult to improvise on a new platform.
You want ChatGPT Ads integrated with Meta and Google Ads
Use an agency that runs all threeA fragmented setup with different teams for every platform can create overlapping budgets, disconnected messaging, and attribution difficulties.
How Marvant Approaches ChatGPT Ads for Malaysian Businesses
We are a performance marketing agency based in Petaling Jaya. We manage Meta Ads, Google Ads, and SEO for Malaysian businesses — primarily in home and decor, renovation, and B2B categories. When ChatGPT Ads launched in Malaysia on September 23, 2026, we were among the first agencies in the country to set up live campaigns.
Here is what our ChatGPT Ads service covers:
Account & billing setup
Get the Ads Manager account live, billing-ready, and technically prepared before campaign building begins.
Context hint strategy
Write the conversation descriptions that determine where your ads appear — one of the most important parts of the setup.
Campaign structure
Plan objectives, ad group segmentation, bid strategy, and budget allocation around the role ChatGPT Ads should play.
Ad creative
Write within the 16–24 character title and 32–48 character description constraints, adapting for Malay and Mandarin where relevant.
Answer-first landing pages
Brief or build landing pages that continue answering the research question the user was exploring before the click.
Conversion tracking
Set up pixel tracking and Conversions API integration so performance is tied to business outcomes, not only impressions.
Reporting
Report performance with early-stage context and clear interpretation instead of dressing vanity metrics up as results.
Full-funnel integration
Show where ChatGPT Ads fits alongside your Meta and Google investment instead of treating it as an isolated channel.
ChatGPT Ads launched in Malaysia nine days ago as of this post. No agency in Malaysia has years of local benchmark data — including us. What we have is active platform access, early campaign data, a clear methodology for context hint writing, and the performance marketing foundation to interpret results intelligently.
We will not promise you a CPL before your first campaign runs. We will set it up properly, measure it carefully, and tell you honestly what the data shows. For a full breakdown of how ChatGPT Ads works, read our guide: ChatGPT Ads in 2026: How They Work and What Marketers Need to Know.
Sources & Further Reading
- ChatGPT Ads expands to Southeast Asia and Taiwan — OpenAI, September 23, 2026. Official announcement of the Malaysia launch, self-serve access, and confirmed agency partners.
- OpenAI is turning ChatGPT Ads into conversations — Search Engine Land, September 16, 2026. Covers context hints targeting, Sponsored Agents, and how ChatGPT Ads differs from keyword-based platforms.
- OpenAI Ads Manager: Hands-On Guide to Every Screen — Tru Commerce (Viren Inaniyan), August 29, 2026. First-hand walkthrough of the Ads Manager including campaign structure, context hints field, creative character limits, and bidding mechanics.
- How to Run ChatGPT Ads — Search Engine Land. Practical guide covering campaign setup, targeting strategy, and creative best practices for ChatGPT Ads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for a ChatGPT Ads Agency in Malaysia?
Marvant is actively managing ChatGPT Ads campaigns for Malaysian businesses. Talk to us — we will be straight with you about what the platform can and cannot do for your business right now.
