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In the world of financial marketing, the goal has always been to move the balance sheet. You want to bring in low-cost deposits, checking, money market, CDs, and put those deposits to work through loans with a solid net income margin.
But here is the problem: most marketers are flying blind and don’t have an attribution platform for full funnel marketing measurement and funded applications generated.
To win in this new landscape, you have to turn your funnel into a measurable equation to the balance sheet impact:
- Intent: Moving prospects from Clicks ➔ Starts.
- Journey: Optimizing the path from Starts ➔ Received.
- Quality: Ensuring that Received ➔ Expected Net Income meets your goals.
The Success Equation:
Intent x Journey x Quality x Unit Value = Net Income
Generative AI is Winning in Search
The trajectory is clear: Generative AI is no longer a "future" trend. It is actively gaining market share in the search engine market. Gen AI is overtaking, in under three years, audiences that took decades for other platforms to build. By the end of 2026, there will be a massive shift in US users:
- Google: 264 million
- ChatGPT: 115 million
- Bing + Yahoo!: <100 million
The Economics of Gen AI Ads
OpenAI has introduced a new ad-tier structure that makes the revenue potential of ChatGPT Go "off the chart":
With ads at a $60 CPM, the ad revenue per user-month is approximately $30. When you look at annual revenue per US user, ChatGPT ($456) is already outpacing Google Search ($352) and Meta ($250).
Annual Revenue Per US User Selected Platforms
ChatGPT vs. Google: The Performance Gap
Why does this matter for your budget, and how can they charge so much? ChatGPT visitors are showing 6x the full funnel performance compared to Google Organic.
When we look at approved applications per 1,000 unique visitors, the data is staggering:
- Deposits: 19.9 (ChatGPT) vs. 3.4 (Google)
- Vehicle Loans: 11.2 (ChatGPT) vs. 1.6 (Google)
- Personal Loans: 4.7 (ChatGPT) vs. 1.1 (Google)
The answer? Play in Both Arenas & Measure Full Funnel Performance
Financial institution marketers need to play in both arenas, but you must invest your budget based on performance. You should be benchmarking your cost per funded account across every category to see the below cost per funded, or better:
- Credit Card: $114
- Deposit: $300
- Vehicle Loan: $725
- Home Equity Loan: $891
- Mortgage: $1,207
Don’t know your full funnel performance or cost per funded? Now is a great time to find out. Book a time here to get your free competitive assessment. The economics of ad-supported Gen AI are undeniable, and the trajectory is only going up!