When it comes to Halloween — the preparation and the main event — there’s one thing consumers experience collectively, and universally rely upon throughout their journey: the weather.

Pre-event: Connect with consumers using weather information to plan and make event decisions.

During the holiday: Build strong customer relationships through the transformative and enduring power of weather.

Don’t get caught in the cobwebs this year — check out our “Fright Forecast” to learn how consumers use weather information to stay informed, make predictions, and prepare to celebrate under the moon.

Download infographic if you dare

With ad solutions from The Weather Company (and a wee bit of wizardry), you can reach consumers planning for Halloween at more than twice the scale of major weather and news competitors.³ When weather wields its magic wand this spooky season, The Weather Company can help you spellbind audiences.

• More than 360 million people rely on The Weather Channel’s digital properties¹ for decisions ranging from daily activities to major life choices like where to live and what vehicle to drive.
• Weather insights and data science offer businesses a competitive edge by enabling them to anticipate and influence consumer behavior and optimize operations.
• According to recent research, 100% of executives say weather intelligence can give their business a competitive edge.²
• Proactive weather strategies help businesses reduce environmental risks, capitalize on emerging revenue growth opportunities, and create operational efficiencies.

In an age where weather isn’t just small talk but instead, the headline, the impact of changing weather patterns on people and businesses is more significant than ever. From everyday weather conditions to extreme temperatures, the environment is now a critical factor driving strategic decision-making in everything from supply chain management to consumer engagement. As global temperatures continue to rise, businesses need to see the opportunity weather presents. At The Weather Company, we help businesses use weather intelligence to drive business resilience, growth, and competitive advantage.

Adapting at the speed of weather

We’ve all seen it. The world is witnessing unprecedented changes in weather patterns. This intensifying weather volatility is fueling more frequent extreme weather events and economic upheavals.

As a result, keeping tabs on the weather has made The Weather Channel digital properties a habitual touchpoint for over 360 million monthly average users¹ worldwide. This widespread reliance shows the powerful influence of weather on consumer behavior. In 2023 alone, Adobe projected that weather would influence over $13.5 billion (about $42 per person) in U.S. e-commerce sales³ — the equivalent of an extra Cyber Monday.

The message is clear — businesses need to evolve from reactive to proactive, weaving weather data deeply into their strategic fabric.

The power of a weather strategy

So, what exactly is a weather strategy? A weather strategy is a savvy, data-driven approach that harnesses the power of cutting-edge weather data science and AI to optimize business processes, personalize marketing efforts, and gain an enterprise advantage. It’s about transforming weather from a risk factor into a strategic ally. 

According to a recent research study of nearly 300 executives across the retail, CPG, pharmaceutical, insurance, and travel & tourism industries:

Future-proof your business with The Weather Company

As businesses look to the future, integrating weather intelligence into long-term planning is a must. At The Weather Company, we offer unparalleled forecasting capabilities and weather intelligence that enable businesses to thrive in the face of changing weather patterns. With over 40 years of expertise in weather data science, we’ve become the world’s most accurate forecaster⁴, a distinction that sets us apart from other providers. Our commitment to innovation and accuracy has earned us the trust of consumers and businesses around the globe.⁵

Beyond accurate forecasts, we provide scalable, proven solutions for consumers and businesses alike. Businesses tapping into these weather insights will be better positioned to anticipate consumer needs and tailor their offerings.

• Weather Engine™ is a proprietary AI/ML insights platform and API that provides the precision and scalability your business process optimization needs to stay ahead.
• Weather Targeting enables advertisers to deliver personalized and relevant messaging that resonates with their audience in real time, across the digital ecosystem.
• Premium consumer experiences across The Weather Channel digital properties help marketers engage with consumers at scale in meaningful moments to help them live healthier, safer, smarter, and happier.

A robust weather strategy isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. Let’s work together to create a weather strategy that drives your business forward. 

As football season kicks off, it’s not just fans gearing up in team colors – brands are also entering a high-stakes game of brand visibility and consumer engagement. In a crowded advertising landscape, how can your brand stand out? The answer lies in an often-underestimated factor: the weather.

Weather is the MVP in the consumer journey. It influences every aspect of the football experience, from pre-game planning to post-game memories, making it an invaluable asset in your marketing toolkit.

But weather doesn’t just make outdoor entertainment events more enjoyable, it makes them more memorable. And better weather isn’t always…better.

Here’s the real winning insight for brands: One-third of people are more likely to remember weather-aligned advertising at outdoor events, a figure that rises significantly among multicultural, millennial and parent audiences.¹

How to leverage weather data this season

1. Pre-event targeting: Influence decisions on attendance, attire, and transportation on The Weather Channel app.
2. During the event: Tailor messaging to current conditions, enhancing enjoyment and creating memorable moments across the digital ecosystem.
3. Post-event: Analyze weather and performance data to uncover customer insights and strengthen brand loyalty even after the campaign ends.

Integrating weather into your marketing playbook this fall allows you to proactively shape the consumer journey, transforming weather from a mere backdrop into a strategic advantage. With Weather Targeting and data, you can:

• Increase awareness through highly relevant, dynamic messaging
• Engage sports enthusiasts with privacy-compliant targeting solutions
• Foster brand loyalty in daily weather-influenced decision moments

Weather isn’t just a condition to be endured. It’s a unifying element that ties together every fan’s experience, from the die-hard tailgater to the casual at-home viewer.

To ensure your brand remains a significant part of the football experience, The Weather Company offers tailored solutions designed to make every campaign a winning one with weather-driven strategies.

Health and wellness marketers have no shortage of challenges. Staying relevant with health-conscious consumers. Navigating strict compliance regulations. Finding ways to stand out and connect with the right consumer in a stacked marketplace – to name a few.

The rewards are there, though, for brands who can break through. The $1.8 trillion global health and wellness market¹ only continues to grow. And many of those consumers are turning to the powerful influence of weather to make their health and wellness decisions. That’s one reason why we recently modernized and enhanced The Weather Channel app user experience as well as our AI-powered ad tech and back-end data modeling with an extra emphasis on health and well-being. Which brings health and wellness marketers a unique and relevant set of advertising solutions to fuel brand relevance and growth.

Unpacking the weather-wellness connection

The connection is clear: Habitually checking the weather informs more than how to dress for the elements. Recent research shows that weather inspires action to minimize illness, manage symptoms, and maximize time outside; offers a sense of control on quality of life; and guides purchases to maintain a healthy lifestyle. According to consumers in the study:

The go-to health and wellness marketing partner

Your customers realize weather’s impact, so meet them where they are. Trusted, accurate data, innovative AI in weather prediction, and brand-safe, contextually relevant content from The Weather Company, place your brand in the direct path of qualified audiences and their health decisions. Additionally, by understanding the effect of weather on consumer spending, we can better tailor our advertising strategies to influence purchasing decisions that are directly related to health and wellness.

Better accuracy, better engagement, better performance

A constant companion, weather influences daily habits and decisions, sunrise to sunset. But not all weather forecasts are equal. Or accurate. Not only are we the most accurate forecaster³ and one of America’s most trusted brands,⁴ The Weather Channel is the preferred weather source used by health-conscious consumers to manage health across all conditions.

Since launching new wellness features in The Weather Channel app, we’ve seen 3x higher clicks into our wellness forecast experiences.⁵ In fact, compared to the legacy app experience, we’re already seeing:

• 11% more stickiness⁵
• 10% more page views per visit⁵
• 8% increase in time spent per daily active user⁵

This preference for, and engagement with, our digital channels means more reach and a higher likelihood of campaign success. But beyond the lure of our new features, the instability and volatility of Mother Nature herself means more eyeballs, more often, on the forecast.

IQVIA-validated health audiences

IQVIA, a leader in healthcare intelligence, utilizes rich prescription data to provide insights into the types of visitors on digital platforms. Our new IQVIA partnership has validated that The Weather Channel’s platforms effectively reach qualified health audiences across over 60 health conditions. Notably, we connect with 47% of U.S. psoriasis patients, which over indexes the general population by 32%.⁶ This collaboration validates our ability to deliver health content to audiences most likely to be treating health conditions and wanting to learn about weather’s impact on their symptoms. 

Brand-safe sponsorships

Get your brand seen in the well-placed context of weather information and health resources through sponsorships on our digital properties.

Content sponsorships: With the latest enhancements to The Weather Channel app, we’ve re-imagined the experience to emphasize the weather-to-wellness connection. New editorial sponsorship opportunities help you align your brand with premium, health-related articles and video content created by award-winning journalists and verified by medical reviewers. Trusted advice and resources cover psoriasis, eczema, weight loss, type 2 diabetes, asthma, COPD, arthritis, stress management, aches and pains, and migraines.

Forecast sponsorships: Health-conscious consumers have access to a range of customized forecasts and tools designed for allergies, skin care, colds and flu, headaches and migraines, body aches, and respiratory health. These forecasts use weather data, AI, and insights to help predict how symptoms might change in the coming days and week.

We put weather into action to give your audience information and insights that help them ultimately live healthier, happier, safer, and smarter.

Anticipate consumer needs with actionable data signals

By using weather data to inform when and where consumers’ health will be impacted, health marketers can tap into unified, scaled, and predictive signals to help to find and connect with qualified audiences and influence health outcomes.

Weather Targeting

Deliver hyperlocal, targeted, personalized health ads by leveraging an intelligent mix of weather data and health data, including:

• OTC/prescription sales from IQVIA
• anonymized patient reports and aggregated insurance claims reports from Merative
• weather science to identify the optimal mix of environmental elements most likely to exacerbate health conditions at a ZIP code level

Audience Targeting

In healthcare marketing, privacy is paramount. Find and connect with your audience using demographic look-alikes with a propensity for specific conditions. These representative audience models are based on:

• behaviors and insights from The Weather Channel digital properties, including site interests and frequent locations viewed
• anonymized health claims data
• CDC and other third-party sources

Beyond the marketing department

Make weather your business. The Weather Company can help you improve strategies, operations, and profitability across the enterprise. Yes, the same company that uses meteorological expertise and technology to help keep millions of people safe and informed about the weather also helps thousands of businesses increase the bottom line.

Weather Engine™

Help your business adapt quickly and make informed decisions that account for weather impacts. Powered by proprietary AI and machine learning, our Weather Engine helps you take advantage of large, analytics-driven insights across internal processes and consumer-facing touchpoints.

Weather Data APIs

Integrate reliable weather data directly into your enterprise applications, business processes, or own custom models. Both weather data and insights are available via APIs with flexible integration services.

Competitive advantage is in the forecast

The influence of weather on daily health and wellness choices isn’t slowing down. Marketers need ways to stand out in a crowded, challenging market. Fortunately, as weather, data, and health continue to intersect, you can trust The Weather Company’s advertising solutions to help you create purposeful, relevant connections and better outcomes for both consumers and your business.

Look no further than the 8 million #sweaterweather posts on Instagram or the staggering 239.6 million posts on TikTok. “Sweater weather” is more than just a seasonal change; it’s a cultural phenomenon that rivals the PSL for fall fame.

Social proof, combined with recent survey data, suggests that most industries offering seasonal products could benefit by timing their campaigns based on actual weather rather than a calendar date. When asked what prompts them to make fall-related changes, consumers overwhelmingly cited weather — 65% mentioned how it feels, and 64% noted the actual forecast¹. This means that understanding subtle weather shifts presents a major opportunity to tap into seasonal consumer habits.

In other words, to truly connect with your audience, you need to know precisely when they’ll be pulling out their sweaters — or even buying new seasonal products.

The relativity of weather

Pinpointing when sweater weather starts in specific markets requires more than just knowing when temperatures will dip below a certain point. Weather is a relative experience. What consumers qualify as sweater weather can span a 10 degree difference depending on where they live. For example, when it’s 45°F in Minneapolis, people are out in shorts, enjoying the brisk air. But when it’s 45°F in Georgia, people are bundled up on the couch, texting friends to make sure they’re staying warm.

We asked consumers what temperature makes them reach for their sweaters. The results? They provide a guide to when people across U.S. regions will start feeling like it’s fall.

Median temps at which The Weather Channel users say fall weather becomes cool enough to put on a sweater are highest in the West at 60 degrees and lowest in the Upper Midwest at 50 degrees.

Here’s the thing about fall weather: More than any other season, people anticipate sweater weather, and when it arrives, they’re ready to make changes.

But there’s one statistic that underscores why marketers should engage with consumers at the first hint of sweater weather: 66% of people say fall weather makes them want to try something new. For Gen Z, that number jumps to 79%¹.

The power of relativity

Brands across industries should take note: If the majority of consumers base their fall-related behavior on the feeling of autumn, knowing exactly when those feelings will arise is crucial.

Is it nuanced? Absolutely. But it’s not complicated if you have the right tools. With Weather Targeting, we’ve combined the world’s most accurate weather data² with third-party data sources and industry-leading AI technology. This allows you to understand how precise, hyperlocal conditions impact consumer mindsets and behaviors, enabling you to automate messaging at the exact moment sweater weather arrives.

So, as the season shifts and the air gets crisp, remember: Sweater Weather isn’t just a time to stay warm — it’s a moment to connect with your audience in a way that resonates deeply. And with the right strategy, your brand can be as eagerly anticipated as that first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season.

Viewers are increasingly interested in personalized content across mediums, and weather broadcasting is no exception. This growing demand is transforming how meteorological information needs to be delivered — and weather broadcasters need to answer the call.

By meeting viewers’ expectations for tailored information, weather broadcasters can increase engagement, trust, and reliance among their audiences, ensuring that the forecasts they provide are integral to each viewer’s planning of their day.

What is a custom weather forecast?

A custom weather forecast provides tailored meteorological information specific to an individual’s or business’s location and needs, rather than a broad, generalized forecast covering a large area. These forecasts typically focus on a particular city, town, or even a ZIP Code, providing detailed and relevant weather data that is immediately applicable to the viewer’s current surroundings. They also utilize advanced data modeling and meteorological technology to predict weather changes with high precision.

What are the advantages of custom weather forecasts?

Custom weather forecasts are revolutionizing how viewers interact with meteorological data, offering substantial advantages that extend beyond the basic provision of weather information.

1. Meeting demand

Viewers increasingly demand forecasts that cater specifically to their local environments. SmithGeiger research shows that 63% of viewers prefer forecasts targeted to their geographic areas, and 69% desire predictions narrowed down to their ZIP Codes. This high demand underscores the need for precision in meteorological services.

2. Improving trust

Personalized weather forecasts cater to specific viewer needs while also building trust. Viewers tend to rely more on forecasts that address their local weather conditions directly, enhancing their trust in your brand and ensuring consistent viewer engagement.

3. Increasing relevance

General forecasts often include details that may not apply to all areas covered, leading to viewer dissatisfaction. For example, a meteorologist may say it will be rainy tomorrow, but only one part of your city or town ends up wet. By focusing on relevant information, you can ensure that your content is of direct interest to your audience, thereby increasing viewer retention.

4. Helping viewers plan their day

Detailed, localized forecasts allow viewers to plan their activities with greater confidence, knowing how weather will affect their specific location throughout the day. This personalization addresses another common viewer grievance: the lack of specific timing for predicted weather changes.

5. Improving weather forecast accuracy

Custom weather forecasts significantly enhance accuracy by tailoring predictions to specific local conditions. By focusing on the unique aspects of each locality, custom forecasts provide more relevant and actionable information, thereby improving overall forecast accuracy. This is one of the reasons why The Weather Company is the world’s most accurate weather forecaster overall, according to a 2017-2022 study from ForecastWatch: Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview, 2017-2022, commissioned by The Weather Company. The Weather Company leverages localized data to ensure reliable predictions. This approach is crucial for viewers who depend on accurate weather forecasts for personal planning and safety.

Where can personalized weather forecasts show up?

Personalized weather forecasts have risen in popularity in recent years, becoming ubiquitous in a wide variety of mediums. Here’s just a few places where you may have noticed them:

Linear TV

Linear TV, the traditional model for television broadcasting, utilizes some localization for broadcasts through weather alerts. Because weather updates are scheduled at specific times, you can ensure that your viewers receive timely information tailored to their local area. This format is particularly used during weather emergencies or sudden changes, allowing you to interrupt regular programming to provide critical updates. With Max Alert Live, broadcasters can add a detailed map to their crawl down to the DMA level, so viewers can fully understand the impacted area. See example below.

CTV platforms

Connected TV (CTV) platforms turn regular TVs into smart TVs, allowing users to access a wide range of online services, including personalized weather content. According to SmithGeiger research, demand on CTV platforms is growing, with 21% of viewers wanting an on-demand customized forecast on a weather streaming service through these platforms. Through channels specifically designed for weather tracking, viewers can receive real-time updates, alerts, and detailed forecasts directly on their television screens for their precise location.

Mobile devices

Mobile devices are increasingly becoming a preferred platform for accessing personalized weather information, with 80% of viewers favoring mobile platforms for their weather updates according to SmithGeiger research. These devices offer unparalleled convenience and immediacy. Users can receive tailored forecasts that are specific to their exact location thanks to GPS technology, which enhances the relevance and accuracy of the information provided.

Out of home

The demand for accessible weather information while on the move is high, with SmithGeiger research finding that 49% of viewers value forecasts at airports, 42% on airplanes, and 34% at train or bus stops. These forecasts are crucial for travelers making informed decisions about the potential for travel delays, which activities to plan for a trip, and appropriate clothing to pack.

What to consider when building custom weather forecasts

When developing custom weather forecasts, it’s crucial to consider a variety of factors that directly impact their effectiveness and relevance for the intended audience. Understanding the nuances of custom weather forecasts will help you deliver the right messaging and information to your viewers every time.

Viewer location

Customizing forecasts at a hyperlocal level is key. Whether you’re targeting a city, town, or even a specific ZIP Code, detailed localization will ensure that each viewer receives information that’s relevant to their specific location.

Time of day

Providing hour-by-hour breakdowns, and in the case of severe weather, minute-by-minute updates, can significantly enhance the utility of a forecast. This detailed temporal resolution helps individuals and businesses make more informed decisions about their daily activities, particularly when planning weather-sensitive events or tasks.

Day of the week

Weekly forecasts help viewers plan their week ahead, especially when they include varied weather conditions expected over seven days. Offering a comprehensive seven-day forecast and highlighting their weekend forecast helps viewers plan their week more effectively.

Forecasted weather

Integrating predictive radar images, especially when rain or severe weather is anticipated, can improve the forecast’s usefulness. This visual tool helps viewers better understand the weather that may impact their area.

Severe weather

Providing timely and location-specific severe weather alerts is crucial for safety and preparedness. These alerts should be based on real-time weather data to ensure they are as accurate and relevant as possible.

Lifestyle and health forecasts

Including information on seasonal conditions makes weather forecasts more engaging and useful, particularly for viewers who regularly participate in outdoor activities. According to SmithGeiger research, 42% of viewers would like to see a day planner that lets them know how to plan outdoor activities. By incorporating detailed reports on pollen levels, humidity, and wind speeds, forecasts become comprehensive guides that help viewers manage their health and outdoor plans effectively. A golf, beach, or even running forecast are examples of other personalized weather content that can be delivered.

Develop personalized weather forecasts with ReelSphere

ReelSphere, from The Weather Company, offers a sophisticated platform to develop and broadcast personalized weather forecast videos across various channels. Leveraging AI and advanced meteorological tools, ReelSphere allows you to create detailed, engaging, and highly customized weather reels that meet the dynamic needs of today’s viewers.

By focusing on these detailed and specific forecasting needs, viewers receive tailored, timely forecasts. Learn more about how ReelSphere is opening up new possibilities for weather forecast personalization.

As the wellness movement swept through society four years ago, it sparked discussions far beyond the headlines. Everyone from investors to business leaders to consumers debated whether this was just a fleeting trend, or the dawn of a new cultural era that would shape consumer behavior for years.

That question has long since been answered. The $1.8 trillion global wellness market¹ is showing no signs of slowing down. Rather, its growth is not only reenergizing consumer focus on health, it’s reenergizing competition between brands who are trying to solidify their spot in shopping carts of health-minded people across generations.

A growing wellness market also means growing expectations. According to a recent report by Accenture, nearly two-thirds (64%) of consumers wish that companies would respond faster with new offerings to meet their changing needs. As health brands and businesses in a competitive space face an ongoing challenge to balance personalization with privacy, finding the right contextual data, strategy, and message to meet in-the-moment needs is a top priority.

Easier said than done. But, one of the most overlooked — yet impactful — forces influencing people’s health is the weather. And that signal is becoming one of the biggest strategic opportunities for health marketers today.

The weather-to-wellness connection

A strong advantage for health marketers, weather already plays such a significant role as people manage their daily health and wellness choices. Research shows 76% of health-minded consumers use weather forecasts and information to manage their health condition(s) — a 33% increase since 2020² — weather drives actions like making plans (or changing them), optimizing the right medicine dosages, and of course, purchases we make. With seasonal weather norms shifting, people need to be constantly monitoring those changes so they can take steps to prevent or minimize adverse symptoms while maximizing the potential of living well.

It only makes sense, then, for marketers to integrate weather data into marketing and media strategies. Weather data is a privacy-forward signal that offers businesses a predictive view of consumer behavior that can power the most holistic, contextual relevance.

Driving market share among qualified audiences

Weather Targeting equips and empowers healthcare marketers with trusted and synthesized weather and anonymized health data, placing brands in the direct path of qualified audiences and health decisions across the digital ecosystem.

Because we are The World’s Most Accurate Forecaster,³ brands and businesses trust The Weather Company as a valued partner. And since weather is pivotal for people’s daily health, so is accurate, comprehensive data in weather forecasting. We examine historical trends, current conditions, and future projections to provide accurate, relevant insights, and seasonal benchmarks. This information proves valuable for learning how weather impacts people’s activities, health, and purchasing decisions. But, it also helps us deliver cookie-less, hyperlocal ads that resonate with audiences, based around current and predicted weather effects on both symptoms and behaviors.

While the signals on their own can supercharge advertising and media targeting strategies, weather data is more powerful together with other synergistic data sources.

Take, for example, first-party audiences. By combining weather data with your first-party audience data and other diverse datasets, marketers can unlock a richer audience understanding that transcends the boundaries of individual data sources. This collaborative approach reveals insights that neither data source could discern alone, enabling marketers to connect with their audience across digital, physical, and emotional contexts with unparalleled relevance. In fact, according to Salesforce,⁴ only 31% of marketers are fully satisfied with their ability to unify customer data sources, limiting their ability to glean insights, plan campaigns, and sustain relevance across the customer journey.

Enhancing targeting through weather and data integrations

Health marketers are already starting to see the power of weather when combined with other targeting layers. For example, a leading pharmaceutical company wanted to increase awareness of, and prescriptions for, a specific diabetes prescription brand. Leveraging the insight that cold weather can exacerbate symptoms and drive a need for diabetes medications, CMI Media Group chose to harness real-time weather data from The Weather Company within Pulsepoint to anchor their campaign. Layering weather data onto an existing HCP target list, the brand was able to message the right HCPs when they’re most likely to consider appropriate pharmacologic therapy. This campaign showed significant impact, driving up the total number of prescriptions written in the impacted ZIP Codes. Results included:

Another recent data partnership that proved successful involved a type 2 diabetes prescription brand utilizing The Weather Company’s diabetes signals in The Trade Desk for programmatic advertising across various media platforms. The campaign was primarily measured through Crossix’s “Cost Per Unique Patient Reach,” which analyzed media exposure and its impact on diagnosed audiences, new prescriptions, and total prescriptions. The partnership proved so successful that the parent company launched a second type 2 diabetes brand using the same targeting strategy. A few results:

Creating purposeful connections and better health outcomes

Weather’s impact on our day-to-day health and wellness decisions isn’t changing and successful marketers are taking notice. Weather signals are a trustworthy, innovative, and meaningful way to meet the needs of a healthcare marketing industry where personalization and privacy are paramount. Through Weather Targeting solutions from The Weather Company, you can connect contextually across physical, digital, and emotional realms to influence purchase decisions that support health and wellness goals. What’s your weather strategy?