The weather is an undersold marketing method, which is set to grow in popularity in 2014 as marketers make every effort to increase contextual relevance in their ad campaigns.
We all talk about the weather, it’s a great conversation starter, helps fill awkward silences and affects our mood. So, marketers are using our obsession with what’s going on in the sky with weather-sensitive advertising. 
We have already seen examples of brands using the weather to their advantage, including, Costa Coffee and Stella Cidre. Last year French mail order fashion retailer La Redoute created a ‘weather forecast billboard’ which displayed real-time weather information together with appropriate adverts for their clothing – t-shirts and shorts for hot temperatures and coats and hats for colder temperatures. It was reported that online traffic increase by over 30% and sales grew by nearly 20% during the time the campaign ran.
Weather forecasting is becoming more sophisticated and accurate making it easier for marketers to plan more precise weather dependent campaigns. The weather can strongly affect consumer’s attitudes and emotions and a recent study showed that on a hot sunny day people are willing to pay on average 38% more for something than they would on cloudy days.
Take a good look at your marketing plan and populate it with a large dose of weather. Working with the weather experts will help with planning, stock control and promotion, saving you time, money and wastage. It won’t only help you be more successful with current customers, but it will help attract new customers too.