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How does online advertising depend on weather conditions?

The performance of online advertising depends on a number of different factors, but can you believe that the weather plays a part? When you think about it, the weather does have an effect on our mood and daily activities, so it really should not come as a surprise that we would be influenced by different types of ads depending on how we feel.

For example, when the sun is shining and the mercury is rising on the thermometer, your thoughts tend to drift to the beach or the pool, and images about vacations come to mind. It would make sense that ads which featured products related to a summer vacation would become more appealing to the average consumers.

It’s not just great weather that has an effect on how people view and react to online advertising. When the seasons change and the temperatures start to drop, the clicks on ads for winter clothing, delivery services, and other winter related items start to rise. Ads of all kinds seem to do better when the weather outside is stormy, as people simply do not want to venture outside, and thus spend more time on the internet than they would if the weather was nice.

These trends are not anything new though, and advertisers have caught on to this phenomenon for quite some time. This is especially true in the mobile world we live in now, when a well-placed or timed advertisement can be the difference between making new customers or not. There are even some companies who run ads that do not kick in until the temperature hits a certain level. They have their marketing down to a fine art, and know exactly when their target audience is more likely to respond to a specific type of ad.

This new trend is starting to hit on social media as well, where The Weather Channel has partnered with a number of major brands to deliver ads that are based on the projected weather. For example, a beer maker might launch a real-time ad campaign in cities and locales where it is forecasted that the weekend temperatures will be seasonably high. People love to get out for a cold brew on the patio when the temperatures start to climb, so why not suggest to them the perfect beer for just such a scenario? While there is no guarantee that they will actually pick that brand, the idea is certainly in their mind when they head out.

This weather related style of online marketing is still very much in the early stages, but you can expect to see it really take off if the early adopters begin to see real success. The fact that so many well-known brands are jumping on board certainly suggests that there is something to it. If you have a product that you consider to be seasonal, this may be a tactic that you should consider adopting at some point to maximize your revenue. You are probably already taking time to see who responds to your ads and when, so it might not be too much to ask to look at what the weather was like when people were responding the most.

Posted in Ad Strategies August 28, 2018 (first published June 2015)

Winter ad serving tips
"While there are some products and services that are a good fit for your website all year round, there are others that are most certainly not. For example, what you might show in the summer may not be appropriate for winter. " More
How do seasons affect online ad serving?
"A seasonal trend can be defined as the repetitive and predictable movement occurring during the same span of time on a year to year basis. Website traffic and online advertising results are affected during holidays such as Christmas and also during calendar seasons such as winter and summer. " More
Tips on spring ad serving
"There are some products and services that can quite easily be advertised year-round. On the other hand, there are those that fall into the seasonal category. " More

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How does online advertising depend on weather conditions?

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