The keyboard, however, has had very little attention on social media in comparison to another product, which OpenAI unveiled alongside the device. The company released a series of ChatGPT-branded merchandise, which includes the most notable basketball. The basketball is priced relatively high at 70 USD and appears to be fully made of rubber, a material that is less common for indoor courts, suggesting that the ball is intended for outdoor courts.It is a part of their ‘Pause. Play. Prompt" campaign, which purely describes the basketball as a physical reminder that creativity goes beyond screens. The product, as well as the rest of the merchandise, represents a continuation of the company’s effort to promote a lifestyle around its product and, therefore, its own philosophy and vision.The Merch Line Goes Beyond a BasketballBasketball is only one of the many products that OpenAI has launched under its ‘Pause. Play. Prompt.’ campaign. In addition to the basketball, the campaign includes apparel such as a 175 USD quarter-zip hoodie with research words in cursive and other clothing and accessories that also include references to research and related topics. Overall, the campaign builds upon the image of an intellectual and research-oriented company that positions the merchandise as an extension of this identity and, therefore, emphasises the importance of the OpenAI brand.However, it somehow didn't connect with the audience because the intent of the campaign, as well as the role of the basketball in particular, appears to represent the view of OpenAI management. That being said, OpenAI’s entry into the realm of hardware is not unexpected in the context of the company’s recent announcement of its own chip.Why Is a Chatbot Company Selling Sports Equipment or Merchandise?There's no official explanation from OpenAI beyond the campaign messaging itself, so the reasoning behind the basketball specifically is open to interpretation. But one thing that makes sense is the timing of the campaign.These merch lines are being launched in the same week as OpenAI's first hardware product, giving the brand both visibility and a target audience. What is interpreted from this campaign is that people are saying it is a tech company that cares about the mental and physical well-being of both coders, developers and users of Codex.