Orient Electric puts 40% of ChatGPT spend into reach

Orient Electric is taking an early and deliberately balanced step into conversational AI advertising. The CK Birla Group company has partnered with WPP Media to run ChatGPT advertising as an extension of its always-on performance marketing strategy, aiming to appear in conversations about home improvement, interior design and lifestyle.

01 · What the campaign actually does

The initiative is not a pure conversion play. Orient Electric has allocated approximately 40% of the campaign budget to reach, signalling a deliberate effort to build visibility and enter category conversations before a buyer has formed purchase intent. The rest of the activity is aimed at product-focused engagement, connecting early discovery with consideration for Orient Electric’s home products.

“At Orient Electric, we believe marketing innovation is about anticipating how consumer behaviour is evolving and acting on those shifts early,” said Sandhya Biswas, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, Orient Electric.

Navin Khemka, President, Client Solutions, WPP Media South Asia, framed the experiment as a learning window: consumers are moving beyond traditional search into conversational, AI-led experiences, and brands need to understand how visibility in those environments can complement an always-on performance strategy.

02 · The discovery funnel is shifting

ChatGPT advertising remains a nascent channel in India. For marketers running always-on performance programs, it poses a structural puzzle: search ads catch declared intent, while AI chat surfaces catch expressed curiosity. Orient Electric’s 40% reach allocation is an attempt to test whether that early curiosity can be turned into brand consideration efficiently.

03 · Why the 40% reach bet matters

Most performance budgets skew towards bottom-funnel actions. Orient Electric’s split is a reminder that on emerging AI surfaces, reach and discovery are not wasted spend; they are the entry point to a longer, more conversational path to purchase. For fans, appliances and home electricals, the moment of inspiration can matter as much as the moment of intent.

• ChatGPT ads are being used for early-funnel discovery, not only conversion.
• Approximately 40% of the AI campaign budget is reserved for reach.
• The test will assess whether conversational AI complements existing media investment.

04 · What marketing teams can do with this

Treat conversational AI placements as a discovery layer, not a search-engine clone. The opportunity is to be present while consumers are still exploring ideas, then measure whether that early presence lifts product consideration and performance further down the funnel. Orient Electric and WPP Media are explicitly using the initiative to assess engagement patterns before scaling, which is the right sequencing for any new media surface.

The broader takeaway for brand leaders: AI is becoming a front end for discovery, and brands that show up early in the conversation get a chance to shape the shortlist before a category search even begins.

Source: MediaNews4U

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.