The news: OpenAI is expanding its partnership with HubSpot to make it easier for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to reach audiences in AI search environments.

• The companies launched a customer relationship management (CRM) integration that lets customers build, manage, and measure ChatGPT campaigns within HubSpot.
• Marketers will be able to connect CRM data to ChatGPT Ads to target key audiences.
• An AI Growth Bundle will also combine access to HubSpot and ChatGPT Business with matched spending for ChatGPT ads at a discounted price, aiming to lower the barriers for SMBs to begin advertising in ChatGPT.

The integration follows a broader shift where “AI search and traditional search are becoming distinct channels with different dynamics,” noted HubSpot GM and VP of product Angela DeFranco in an interview with EMARKETER.

Why it matters: AI platforms like ChatGPT are emerging as distinct marketing environments, creating a channel for marketers to reach consumers as their search habits evolve.