Ever get an email like the one pictured below and think, how did they know it was raining?! Hmm… ordering in does sound better than going outside… orders chicken noodle soup for delivery ASAP. This clever ad utilizes what marketers call weather-based advertising.
Weather-based advertising relies on triggers that are directly connected to a change in weather conditions in particular geolocation. If your product is a heater, you might want to target your audience when the temperature drops below a certain degree. Or if you’re selling allergy medication, then you want to target regions with higher pollen counts. Food delivery services such as GrubHub use geolocation targeting to their successful advantage with social ads, display ads, and emails similar to the example below that are triggered by specific weather events to capitalize on the fact that consumers won’t want to go outside in the rain.
Many everyday decisions are subconsciously shaped by the elements. Seasonal campaigns can be hugely successful when deployed intelligently and frequently optimized with consumer purchase behavior in mind. Marketers know that weather dictates consumer actions; methods of travel, foods to eat, how to dress, and what goods (think flowers versus ice melt) and services they buy. A beverage brand might want to ramp up their ad spend during the summer months when consumers are looking for ways to cool off. Conversely, a coffee shop will want to push their hot beverages during the winter season.
Think about the ways weather can influence consumer purchasing decisions in the following industries alone: apparel, HVAC, home & garden, travel & tourism, and automotive. Centering marketing efforts around weather moments – whether that be through paid search ads, banner ads, email marketing, SMS and push notifications, or social media posts – creates more targeted, more personalized and more impactful ads.
We’ve leveraged weather-triggered marketing campaigns for several of our clients. Give us a call at 781-247-0730 or send an email to info@mittcom.com to learn how weather-triggered advertising can work for your brand.