Does The UK Weather Effect Marketing?This is something that many have pondered, does the weather effect marketing?
In the UK we are blessed with the weather changing throughout the day more or less every day.
The weather is a staple of smalltalk in the UK, being typically changeable and therefore unpredictable with the added boost of the wettest January in 2013 since records began. But weather-related marketing was formerly limited to adverts for ice cream in the summer or for cosy knitwear in the winter.
However during the seasons of extreme weather, this can effect marketing, and here are a couple of examples:
During the beginning of December 2010, the UK was hit by a very cold spell, causing massive amounts of snow and freezing temperatures (going down to -21.6C in Altnaharra (which is on par with the South Pole)).
This had the effect, that many people could not go into work, as a result less marketing was going on, enquiry numbers dropped and generally the whole UK ground to a halt.
Even many air flights were canceled from taking off and landing – resulting in food shortages in supermarkets across the UK.
Winter does not really happen in the UK as it used to (back in the day). September used to be the beginning of our autumn, where we see the trees starting to drop their leaves and the jumpers come out.
Over the last few years, September or often warmer and dryer than August.
Christmas is never a white Christmas, it is usually very mild and sunny, or raining, but certainly not a winter wonderland.
Flowers are appearing earlier and the seasonal frost does not make an appearance. This means the weeds in the garden do not die and the coughs and colds are not killed off by the cold.
Summer does not really happen in the UK as it used to (back in the day) but looking at the end of May/beginning of June this is normally a period where temperatures go up to 30C+.
As a result, more people take days off for holiday,gardening sick leave etc. As a result, marketing activity slows down and some companies (particularly in manufacturing) go on a shut down.
For many companies, this is very bad news, if your business is reliant on marketing enquiries coming through then to have seasonal periods of famine can cause problems.
On the other hand, forward planning marketing activity around these seasonal deserts can also work either by having a marketing campaign ready to run, or to have a shut down yourselves.
The main thing that businesses need to recognise, is that marketing is effected by seasonal trends. Whether the sun during the spring time (which lets face it, is what May is) or the snow in December, it is going to have an effect on sales and marketing as a whole.
If you are struggling with getting consistency of new business enquiries, it may be best to talk to a marketing company about how to forward plan for the quiet periods. To ensure that your business does not suffer the shock waves the British weather can bring.
March of 2024 was apparently the warmest March since records began, however 2024 has been very wet.
We are expecting another very warm summer, which certainly would effect how businesses handle their marketing.
We are expecting sleepless nights in June and July as our houses do not have air conditioning and the heatwaves over the last few years mean we should expect sleepless nights.
Back in the 19th century, the UK has seasons. Spring summer autumn and winter.
These tend to be the UK seasons, where we see the weather go from warm to cold and this has generally been the case for the last couple of thousand of years.
In the past, the river Thames would freeze over and there would be events and parties on the frozen river known as The Thames Frost Fairs. This first happened in the 7th century, and last happened in 1962-63.
The River Thames freezing over now would be unthinkable, we have not had a decent snow in decades.
Global warming is being blamed on the warming of the weather and the loss of our changing seasons, but does global warming happen so quickly?
Warmer weather means more of us are out and about or in air conditioned shopping centres. This allows shops and other UK companies to do business rather than having to close due to a sever frost or extreme snow.
Gone is the business on the high street where the weather would affect trade. We now have shopping centres that have affordable parking and is protected from the elements, hot or cold.
This is why using a PR stunt can help, utilising the weather; done right PR stunts can be like marketing gold dust!
Does the weather affect UK marketing? The answer has to be yes. Compare quotes with Marketing Quotes.
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