March 18, 2019
Data-driven marketing is never stronger then when it presents creative that responds to real-time conditions. If you can tell a consumer it’s raining outside with your advertising before they get a chance to look out the window, then congratulations, you have mastered the art.
Weather is a critical driver of sales for 30% of all global products and services. It can motivate people or stifle their energy. However, the way that you advertise can be a winning choice no matter what condition the weather is in.
Simply put, weather influences sales on a global scale. If you can harness the power of the unpredictable weather, you stand a chance of doubling or tripling your sales. It’s all about relevancy. Weather-based creative is content that is developed and advertised based on the weather conditions in a particular region. It is hyper-focused on very specific targets in real-time.
Targeting an audience based on local, real-time data is about creating experiences for your customers. It helps to better inform their decision-making process. Delivering an ad that is relevant to something happening in the here-and-now will always attract attention. It’s immediately applicable to a consumer’s situation.
Real-time delivery is crucial to making weather-based creative to work. Current and forecasted weather signals can be used to activate multiple forms of content. McDonalds is one company that is an expert in weather-based marketing. Their ad copy and images reflect the local weather conditions in each city.
On a hot day, McDonalds offers cold drinks, and on a cold day, hot. It makes perfect sense and it works beautifully. Most importantly, it’s so instantaneous (real-real-time) that the campaigns can shift as quickly as the weather. A consumer can be offered a hot drink in the a.m., and a cold one on the same billboard when they get out of work.
A study by UK company Sainsbury’s examined the link between weather and sales for a selection of product categories.
They found that just a few degrees rise in temperatures in early spring will produce a 200% lift in BBQ sales. Every business on the planet can benefit from weather-based creative, but there are certain industries that find it particularly useful. Here are just a few:
A consistent rise/fall in temperature by just one degree can have significant effects on the sales of products in the USA. It triggers a 24% sales increase in air conditioners, 2% in soft drinks, and a 4% rise in infant apparel purchases.
A high variation in temperature can produce even more pronounced effects.
Weather targeting goes perfectly with event response campaigns. You can promote your event based on the weather that is forecast for that day. For example, a music festival can leverage good weather to boost sales. Any outdoors event can be drastically affected by the weather, so no matter what the condition, you should stay on top of those stats.
Weather can influence consumers on many levels, including both physically and emotionally. Brands can benefit from leveraging real-time weather to personalize and contextualize their social media marketing campaigns. It’s a fundamental driver of customer spending habits.
Weather affects approximately $3 trillion worth of business in the private sector. Harnessing the power of real-time weather data can drive sales and increase your ROI. Most importantly, it demonstrates to your targeted audience that you are paying attention and offering instant solutions to their problem. And that is priceless in rain or shine.
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