Freezing temperatures, snow, storms and flood — welcome to winter.
Chaos can be caused by adverse weather . But for entrepreneurs, those weather ‘spikes’ could in fact be golden opportunities to cash in on the collective weather woes of the nation.
When the weather takes a turn for a worse, it’s not surprising that many of us will start searching umbrellas — from coats for winter essentials. But it also generates a ‘travel cause’, as individuals look to escape the chilly outdoors.
This is a clear marketing opportunity for airlines and hotels to grab with both hands but beyond that, the travel cause is also a rewarding shopping window for brands to leap through.
Statistics from lastminute.com shows that on the day of Storm Clodagh in November 2015 (the third largest storm to rip the UK apart annually) hunts for global flights taken up by 42 percent.
Having the Ability to flex advertising strategies in real time is key when it comes to Assessing budgets and boosting ROI
Rome and Barcelona topped the list, with more than a rise in searches, as people seemed not too far from your home. As the nation looked to splurge on a trip but searches for Las Vegas shot up by 54 percent.
‘Wintery mood’
But mindset is at least as important as what is happening outside our windows — people can sense at a ‘wintery’ mood even when winter hasn’t really hit yet. UK searches for flights to Europe taken up by 61% on 23rd August 2015 since the Met Office called a washout for the Bank Holiday weekend — together with searches for flights increasing by 42 percent.
When the clocks went back last autumn, hunts for global flights on lastminute.com shot up by a fifth (22%) overnight, as the dark evenings returned and individuals looked to treat themselves into city breaks and holidays.
Topping the list of destinations was New York with a 43% rise in searches, followed by Amsterdam, Milan, Barcelona and Las Vegas.
Consumers in the right mindset is key. When it comes to traveling we know people are eager and prepared to treat themselves everything and experiences they need to make them more memorable.
That’s why manufacturers across all industries can reap the advantages of responding to external factors such as the weather.
Be creative and flexible
Whether you are advertising a bank account, cameras, sneakers or beauty products, there is an opportunity to capitalise on people’s passion points by building flexibility and a little imagination into campaigns.
Wouldn’t it be a prime opportunity to serve someone an ad for some flip flops since they book their vacation to Ibiza; an ad for travel insurance as people browse for trips to the French Alps; or a video on the best photography spots in Morocco?
Targeting consumers based on factors like weather triggers will help by giving individuals info, services and products at the time they need it , enhance the performance of marketing campaigns. Having an 2017 ahead, getting the most bang for your marketing buck will be much more significant.
When it comes to boosting ROI and maximising budgets, and having the capability to flex ad strategies in real time is crucial.
