The Digiday Podcast

Episode: How Black Friday Could 'Fast Track' OpenAI's Ad Plan
Date: November 25, 2025
Host(s): Kamiko McCoy (B), Tim Peterson (A)
Guest: Crystal Scanlon (C), Digiday Platforms Reporter

Episode Overview

This episode delves deep into the potential for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping surges to accelerate OpenAI's much-anticipated move into advertising. Digiday's platforms reporter Crystal Scanlon joins Kamiko and Tim in a feature interview to unpack recent executive comments from OpenAI, the shifting retail and commerce media landscape, and the unique challenges and opportunities facing OpenAI as it decides how — and when — to roll out ads inside ChatGPT and related products.

Alongside, the hosts run through the latest digital media business news: major M&A in entertainment and advertising, regulatory verdicts for Meta and Google in antitrust cases, and Adobe’s acquisition of SEMrush.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Industry News Round-Up

[02:37–12:59]

• Warner Brothers Discovery Bidding War
  Skydance's Acquisition of Paramount and New Bids:

  • David Ellison, newly at the helm after Skydance acquired Paramount, is bidding to buy Warner Brothers Discovery, competing with Comcast and Netflix.
  • "Paramount has asked three times and have been turned down by Warner Brothers Discovery three times on a matter of, you know, is the price right?" (B, 04:18)
  • Comcast and Netflix are interested only in the studio and streaming business, not cable networks.
  • A decision is expected closer to December 20th, but final moves may stretch into 2026.

• Meta’s Antitrust Victory

  • U.S. judge rules Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp were not proven to violate antitrust law.
  • TikTok's growth played a key role in the case outcome.
  • "Now it's one of those sliding door moments where if TikTok had got banned in the US ... how would that have changed things?" (A, 07:46)

• Omnicom and IPG Merger Greenlit

  • The European Commission approved the Omnicom-IPG deal; US and UK regulators had already cleared it.
  • Hosts speculate on the 12–18 month integration period and the window it may give competitors like WPP.

• Adobe Acquires SEMrush ($1.9B)

  • SEMrush, a search analytics firm vital for brands/publishers tracking chatbot and search presence, is set to be integrated into Adobe’s suite.
  • "It seems like the idea is to integrate SEMrush into Adobe's existing marketing tools. So giving brands ... a better idea of how they're appearing within AI chatbots." (A, 11:46)

Feature Story: Is Black Friday Kickstarting OpenAI's Ad Business?

[13:45–46:34]

The Black Friday “Fast Track” Theory

• Tim posits that Black Friday and Cyber Monday mark the unofficial kickoff for OpenAI's ad business, citing a recent interview with Fiji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications.
  • Simo noted: “Advertising as a model works really well when you have a lot of commerce intent.” (A citing Simo, 15:43)
  • OpenAI has enabled shopping partnerships (Target, Walmart, Shopify), building infrastructure for commerce through ChatGPT.

Crystal Scanlon’s Take

• Crystal agrees Black Friday performance could "fast track it, potentially":

  • "They need to have three things ... issues around data privacy ... have the commerce proposition fully netted out ... and then ... the person to be able to sell those ads." (C, 16:05)

• Kamiko agrees: Black Friday is a "guaranteed shopping period," so it’s a logical time to start monetizing.

What Could OpenAI Ads Look Like?

• Challenges & Lessons from Perplexity

  • Perplexity’s ad product failed due to unfamiliar CPM (cost per thousand impressions) pricing vs. CPC (cost per click), lack of traction among advertisers, and unclear value proposition:
    • "Advertisers couldn't get on board ... because it's not the way search is normally bought." (C, 19:29)

• The Retail Media Boom as an Opportunity

  • Rapid growth in retail/commercial media offers fertile ground for ChatGPT as a purchase funnel, particularly if OpenAI leverages partnerships with established retailers.
  • "If there was anybody who was capable ... look at Fiji's success with Instacart, hence why she was brought into OpenAI." (B, 21:42)

• The Ad Product Dilemma

  • OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has questioned traditional search ad models, suggesting that better chat AI should satisfy user intent organically — challenging the standard sponsored search approach.
    • "If you're having to show an ad ... that means you weren't able to organically give them the information that they would want." (A recapping Altman, 24:25)
  • Alternatives may include affiliate/revenue-share models (e.g., bookings or commerce actions within chat).

• Unique Organizational Challenges

  • OpenAI's complex structure as a non-profit over a for-profit B-corp complicates clear strategic direction.
  • "To me it kind of seems like throwing spaghetti noodles at the wall to see what sticks ... Even with their products like Pulse and some of the other ones ..." (B, 27:16)

Partnerships, Data, and the Education Curve

• OpenAI is already partnering with large retailers (Target, Walmart, Uber, Booking.com) that have robust commerce/retail media divisions.
• Inventory expansion in commerce media means advertisers are becoming more open to new inventory types if they see commerce intent and data.
• Semrush and SimilarWeb data are now showing brands exactly how much traffic they’re getting from ChatGPT.
  • "One in five of Walmart's referral clicks came from ChatGPT." (A citing Mitchell at Modern Retail, 33:47)

The Adobe-SEMrush Deal: A Catalyst?

• Hosts speculate that Adobe bringing SEMrush analytics into its suite will streamline client education and make it easier for brands to understand — and spend on — emerging AI ad channels.
  • “Adobe owning SEMrush seems like it could help with client education, if only by making this data ... more available …” (A, 37:01)

Sora and Other Ad Avenues

• OpenAI’s video tool, Sora, may offer a more Instagram-like format for ads, playing to CEO Altman's praise for successful ad products "like Instagram’s."
• Branded cameos (like Ronald McDonald in Sora-generated videos) rumored as a first step, but rollout and safety/brand suitability concerns remain.

What’s Next? CES, Cannes, and Executive Hires

• OpenAI execs signal they won’t be at CES but may be at Cannes — traditionally a showcase spot for new ad products.
• "I've heard in some conversations that people would be surprised if the name of an ADS boss wouldn't be mentioned by the end of this year." (C, 45:29)
• OpenAI is working closely with brands in consulting roles — prepping for a more robust ad infrastructure.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the urgency for OpenAI to monetize:
  “You guys, they're burning through billions. They've got to find a way to kind of make up those costs somewhere. Why not start during a guaranteed shopping period?”
  — Kamiko McCoy (B), [17:08]

• On the retail media road map:
  “The roadmap has already been created and if you look at Instacart's retail media, they've been one of the top players in this space.”
  — Kamiko McCoy (B), [21:47]

• On Altman's ad model skepticism:
  “He seems to think the core Google search ad product is actually a bad product in a way...”
  — Tim Peterson (A), [24:27]

• On OpenAI’s approach:
  “There's not really like A categorical we're doing this by this date … not really a pathway they are working towards building that type of thing. But I guess that probably makes sense then why we see things come out so sporadically.”
  — Crystal Scanlon (C), [27:45]

• On Adobe–SEMrush as a sign of the times:
  “If Adobe can kind of see the writing on the wall of, like, how people are shopping, how that's changing … scoop up SEMrush and now you've got another tool in your toolkit.”
  — Kamiko McCoy (B), [36:25]

• On the future of Sora:
  “They might just start off with Sora because it's a format that we already know that Sam Altman likes because he likes Instagram ads.”
  — Crystal Scanlon (C), [40:33]

• On the complexity and uncertainty ahead:
  “To me it points to ... Adobe is maybe seeing the writing on the wall here. It’s the same thing with Like, I think I touched on this before mergers and acquisitions in the influencer marketing space … build out their own offerings, as opposed to building something bespoke, you know, scoop up SEMrush and now you've got another tool in your toolkit.”
  — Kamiko McCoy (B), [36:09]

• On OpenAI’s forthcoming moves:
  "I feel like the next one after this will be if Sam Altman or Fiji Sima or probably most likely Varun Shetty are at CES taking meetings with brands and agencies."
  — Tim Peterson (A), [44:14]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Start Time | |--------------------------------------------|--------------| | Thanksgiving banter | 00:09 | | Warner Brothers Discovery bid news | 02:56 | | Meta/Google antitrust trials | 07:28 | | Omnicom IPA merger + agency landscape | 09:58 | | Adobe acquires SEMrush | 11:47 | | Feature: OpenAI ad business conversation | 13:45 | | Black Friday as potential "kickoff" | 15:43 | | Lessons from Perplexity ads | 19:05 | | The rise of commerce media | 20:36 | | Search ads vs. Chat-based ad models | 24:25 | | SEMrush and data for brands | 32:58 | | Implications of Adobe acquisition | 36:00 | | Sora and branded content | 40:30 | | Looking ahead: CES, Cannes, ad exec hiring | 44:14 |

Flow & Takeaways

• The episode flows from high-level industry shifts (M&A, court battles) into a tight focus on how the digital ad ecosystem is being disrupted — and potentially reshaped — by AI platforms like OpenAI through commerce-related features.
• The hosts and guest blend pragmatic skepticism with anticipation, balancing excitement around OpenAI’s unique position with very real questions about product design, data, brand safety, and corporate structure.
• Listener takeaway: Black Friday’s commerce flood could serve as an early litmus test for OpenAI’s ads ambitions — but the real story will play out over the next year as major partners, measurement tools, and competitive AI chats all jockey for attention and share.

In Their Own Words

"They need to have three things in order and before they can look to have an ads business. It's the issues around data privacy ... They need to have the commerce proposition fully netted out ... and then obviously ... whoever to be able to sell those ads."
— Crystal Scanlon (16:05)

"I think marketers, the ones that I've talked to, are still scratching their heads trying to figure out how to even show up in these environments. They're also throwing spaghetti noodles at the wall ..."
— Kamiko McCoy (32:34)

"One in five of Walmart's referral clicks came from ChatGPT, which is just a huge share of traffic ..."
— Tim Peterson (33:47)

“...There's a lot of things to answer before they can start properly rolling out what ads look like for them.”
— Kamiko McCoy (43:39)

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