Etaily Prepares Southeast Asian Brands for the ChatGPT Ads Era

MANILA, Philippines, and Singapore — October 16, 2026 — Etaily today announced the launch of ChatGPT Ads Management for Brands, expanding its media offering into AI-native advertising and helping Southeast Asian businesses explore a new channel for consumer discovery.

As consumers increasingly use AI assistants to research products, compare alternatives and evaluate purchase options, ChatGPT Ads presents another opportunity for brands to engage audiences during active consideration. Etaily’s offering helps businesses assess this emerging channel and determine how it can complement their existing media investments and commercial objectives.

Digital commerce has continually evolved toward the moments when consumers discover products and make decisions.

Google established search as a way to capture expressed demand. Meta made audience-based advertising more addressable, while TikTok brought creators, entertainment and product discovery closer to commerce. ChatGPT introduces another dimension: conversational intent.

Consider a consumer asking an AI assistant, “What is the best sunscreen for humid weather?” or “Which coffee machine should I buy for my apartment?” These questions reveal a need and signal that the consumer is actively exploring possible solutions.

As advertising develops within AI conversations, this creates a new environment for brands to explore. Rather than treating conversational advertising as an isolated experiment, businesses can consider how it fits into their existing media mix, product positioning and conversion strategy.

For Southeast Asian brands, this development builds on a market already shaped by rapid changes in e-commerce, marketplaces, creator partnerships, affiliate marketing, livestreaming and social commerce. Conversational discovery adds another potential touchpoint to an increasingly connected purchase journey.

For Etaily, the opportunity extends beyond advertising on a new platform. The priority is to apply AI where it can improve commercial decisions and operational performance.

Etaily applies this approach through capabilities such as its AI Signal Engine, which connects signals across content, media, marketplaces and transactions, alongside AI-enabled demand planning and commerce operations.

Etaily’s ChatGPT Ads Management offering helps brands navigate this emerging channel through strategy, campaign management, optimization and measurement, integrating conversational advertising into their broader media and commerce plans.

Paid advertising is one part of the opportunity. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) support organic AI discovery by improving how brand and product information can be surfaced and understood across AI-driven experiences. These approaches give brands distinct ways to participate in evolving consumer discovery.

As AI platforms influence how consumers research products and evaluate alternatives, brands have an opportunity to reconsider how they reach audiences at these moments of consideration. For Etaily, the priority is to connect these emerging opportunities with measurable business outcomes.

“The question for brands is no longer whether they need an AI strategy,” Friedhoff says. “The question is where AI can materially improve their existing operations and economics. If it doesn’t improve the business, it’s just another technology project.”

Etaily continues to advance its position at the intersection of media, technology and commerce, connecting emerging capabilities with the operational and commercial foundations brands need to compete in a changing digital marketplace.

AI is not the destination. It is the accelerator of commerce.