OpenAI’s ChatGPT makes its OOH debut in India

OpenAI has rolled out its first-ever Out of Home (OOH) campaign in India for ChatGPT, placing minimalistic yet impactful billboards across cities including Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Jaipur. The campaign relies on relatable prompts, which are straightforward text that mimics how users actually interact with ChatGPT, rather than extravagant taglines.

“Create a meal plan that hits 100g of protein per day. And a grocery list under ₹100/week,” reads one billboard in Mumbai’s Juhu. Another, spotted in Bengaluru, asks, “Can you help me stay consistent about tracking my budget?”

The choice of prompts over pitches signals a clear intent: to show the practical, everyday relevance of generative AI. By avoiding jargon, OpenAI aims to reach a wide audience, nudging passersby to see ChatGPT not just as tech, but as a problem-solving companion.

The campaign follows a slew of India-first initiatives by OpenAI. The company recently opened its first Indian office in New Delhi, appointing former Meta leader Sheeladitya Mohanty as Marketing Lead. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and IIT Madras, it has introduced ChatGPT Go, a more reasonably priced plan created with Indian customers in mind, and the OpenAI Learning Accelerator, which will provide 500,000 ChatGPT licenses to teachers and students.

With India emerging as OpenAI’s second-largest market globally after the US, the OOH push signals deeper intent to localise its presence. According to IMARC, India’s generative AI market stood at $1.3 billion in 2024 and is set to quintuple by 2033.

With Gemini, Grok, and Perplexity competing for market share in a crowded global AI race, OpenAI's India-first OOH campaign demonstrates that the fight for mindshare in India may take place offline as well, on billboards, bus stops, and streets.