With 125m app downloads globally, the channel tailors adverts to suit the real-time weather where the consumer is located
The big thing that weather and mobile devices have in common is that they are both personal, local and with us everywhere we go. So it stands to reason that weather information is a perfect match for the mobile platform and when used in tandem, can enable highly targeted, hyper-local, hyper-personal branding for advertisers.
The big problem with mobile is that it's an undeveloped media platform; its principal ad products are there by default, derived from web ad products; and advertisers and media owners have been slow to recognise that its core consumption characteristics require very different creative treatment. Mobile has become a performance mechanism of the ugly banner ad and that's a big reason the investment in mobile has been poor in comparison to the time spent on mobile by the consumer. The creative used on the platform is unimaginative and does not work.
At The Weather Channel owner The Weather Company, due to the ubiquitous nature of our content across mobile, our strategy in this area is a priority. We have 125m app downloads globally, and we have been striving to unlock mobile as a powerful branding medium. To do this, we have embraced the platform's consumption characteristics to create executions optimised to take full advantage of this innately intimate medium.
We have been developing a product that allows advertisers to leverage the power of the weather, by actually putting brands into the weather. Our engaging mobile creative uses the whole mobile display panel to showcase some very beautiful images, communicating essential information to the consumer based on real-time weather. We have ensured that the messaging is in context with exactly what's actually happening with the weather at that very moment.
For example, if you were standing out in the wonderful sunshine at 5pm, we might serve you an ad for Pimms at "sunshine o'clock". If it's raining, we might feature Hunters wellies – or if it were snowing, the advertising would be relevant for severe weather – for instance insurance or car tyres. What we are doing is trying to use mobile as a branding mechanism rather than a performance per click model.
Our work with fashion brand Burberry is a prime example. During last year's Olympics, we partnered with Burberry for a campaign which saw the brand supply all the advertising on our iPad apps worldwide. The iPad app displayed local London weather conditions alongside images of relevant products, such as sunglasses and umbrellas, which were updated dynamically based on the changing weather conditions and temperatures.
Similarly, our Android app, created in partnership with Continental Tyres, included a different display creative dependent on the current weather conditions and the time of day in the location searched.
We believe that the future of mobile advertising should always offer a rich and dynamic experience and ultimately utilise native ad products, tailored specifically to a brand and making full use of location, demographic and big weather data to make the ad as relevant as possible.
Ultimately, our strategy is to work closely with our brand partners to provide app users with beautifully crafted mobile content, optimised for mobile and seamlessly integrated into an app experience. The result – the optimum solution for monetisation on mobile.
Ross Webster is managing director Europe, Middle East and Asia for The Weather Channel owner The Weather Company International
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