Have you ever been at home browsing the web on a rainy day and come across an ad for rain boots? Perhaps that ad also featured a free umbrella with purchase. If so, you may have just been marketed to using weather-based targeting. Weather-based targeting utilizes historical, real-time and forecast weather data to serve the most fitting messaging to consumers.
We all know that the key to a successful marketing campaign entails effectively reaching and engaging your audience, providing users with relevant content when they need it most. In the same vain, we also know that the weather plays a primal role in our behavior – dictating where we go, what we eat, what we wear, and more. By leveraging weather data, advertisers are able to provide consumers with a highly customized online experience thus increasing the chance for conversion.
As mentioned, one strategy utilizing weather data is Forecast weather. This offers a way to provide a personalized message which affirms the customer’s need for a product or service. For example, typically this time of year, people in South Florida might be looking for outdoor furniture at Home Depot as they know a dip in temperature is forthcoming and they’re preparing to spend more time outside enjoying the cool evenings. However, this year brought on the arrival of Hurricane Matthew. Those along its projected path had specific purchase needs prior to the storm and a message geared towards outdoor accessories would have been ineffective. By understanding the weather forecast in that area, one is able to gain insight into consumer needs. Home Depot could quickly switch gears and display an ad for batteries, flashlights and generators, which would be better suited.
Other weather-based strategies include:
- Using real-time data where you could display an ad for a tropical vacation when the temperature drops below a certain threshold.
- Leveraging historical weather data to identify what weather patterns are good/bad for your business prior to formulating an ad campaign.
Weather analytics has the opportunity to provide marketers with the data needed to deliver a highly relevant message that speaks to the consumer’s purchase intent with the outcome of an improved user experience and increased ROI.
