Forecasting Hope: The Weather Channel. "Every Storm Does End."

In addition as I39ve written about here The Weather Channel has been at the forefront of experimenting with new technologies to tell their stories As Michael Potts explained to me then quotYou can tell the climate story you can show bar charts you can show trends over time the variations and droughts and deforestation and all the other things that go into the reasons why these things happenquot he says quotBut there39s nothing like putting a visual to it and allowing your audience to picture themselves there and feel it It39s a sensory thing where we39re translating the reams of data into a visual storyline that39s impactfulquot So it39s no surprise that during a crisis like the coronavirus The Weather Channel is seen as a trusted source for information delivering that information in a straightforward understandable and relatable way and with none of the perceived biases that other news channels might haveI spoke with Barbara Bekkedahl President Ad Sales ampamp Client Partnerships Weather Group and Angela Massie VP Live Storytelling Weather Group about what makes The Weather Channel such a unique source right now and also about how they are driving new content on all of their platforms on screen and online Bekkedahl explained to me how they39ve been able to generate that trust She said quotOur coverage is always sciencebased It39s always about providing safety and preparedness informationquot Massie added quotWe39re not learning about scientists or these sciences for the first time on The Weather Channel We go way back with a lot of these organizations that are now part of daily news cyclesquotBecause of that approach The Weather Channel delivers a halo effect for its advertisers That makes their ads perform on a variety of metrics something The Weather Channel has been able to research and document As Bekkedahl said quotSo that is a key factor of our success and something that Massie and the team in Atlanta protect and build on every single dayquot While the everyday weather story is critical to its viewers Bekkedahl added quotin times of severe weather it39s really where that trust factor is important to saving lives I feel like advertisers have recognized that with their commitments over the yearsquotThe Weather Channel has expanded on the trust they39ve developed over the years and expounded on it during the COVID19 crisis As Massie explained quotWe39re the scientists who America sees on TV every day there39s a certain amount of credibility they know we already have The Weather Channel also had advantages when it came time to change how the broadcasts were done Unlike many other outlets The Weather Channel staff are accustomed to working in a variety of environments including during the very difficult weather storiesquot As Massie explained quotIn the first couple of days when we started to transition our teams to work from home everybody flipped the switch and went into what I call hurricane mode Hurricanes present any number of unexpected challenges for live transition and doing live TV in general We just put on our thinking cap and found solutions and the team was up and running before I think a lot of our other broadcast and cable partners had figured out how to execute itquotIn addition they have created new content that39s delivering new value for their audience For example with so many children in the country now being home schooled The Weather Channel has introduced science experiments and segments by their scientists that parents can use every day Massie explained to me quotThey39re all parents too and they all have kids who have athome learning responsibilities and they39re looking for ways to keep their children occupied and they39re sharing what they knowquot All these segments are designed using things that everyone might have in their pantries and done for a variety of age groups Massie added quotWhether it39s empty plastic bottles and balloons food coloring different things like that it39s really news you can usequotIn addition they39ve opened a new Twitter channel Pattrn allowing The Weather Channel to connect with a different audience than they might have on linear TV This allows them to expand both in terms of content and voice As Massie said quotPattrn definitely has a voice and a persona that is kind of like the smart little brother or little sister of The Weather ChannelquotOne thing that The Weather Channel has also brought into their storytelling is the after story While many news outlets cover the story when it39s happening for most once the initial impact is over they move on The Weather Channel developed Forecasting Hope a number of years ago where they go back and finish telling the story For example after a weather disaster like a hurricane they continue to follow families as they recover to show a more complete story In addition these Forecasting Hope stories can also shine a light on uplifting positive stories featuring brands organizations and individuals that are helping during the aftermath and having a positive impact in their communitiesAs with all their content there are any number of ways to involve brands in an authentic way Brand partnerships are part of their storytelling every day for example Lands39 End which is the official outfitter for their talent Bekkedahl explained that brands really can integrate in so many ways because so many brands are weatherdependent She added quotFrom Campbell39s Soup getting involved with the first day of winter to allergy medication partners who want to align to pollen and allergy forecasts There39s many variations of how brands have merged and blended with usquot The Weather Channel works hard to create the same authenticity and relevance for their brand partners while helping advertisers understand how their businesses can fit togetherShe was particularly excited about their partnership with the new Trolls World Tour movie When the movie changed from theatrical to ondemand the sales team was able to quickly pivot to take advantage of that change The Weather Channel worked with their parent company Entertainment Studios to create cross promotions including having all of the meteorologists pick their favorite trollsIn the end The Weather Channel has expanded on what39s made the brand so successful in the past The trust that it has developed with its audience over the years Making sure that science is at the center of its content Continuing the story after others have left it Creating authentic content on multiple platforms to engage their audience wherever they are Lastly looking beyond the immediate for the hope in the story As Massie said to me quotwe really reflect what America39s going through One of the things we39ll be messaging out next week when we really get into our countdown to the hurricane season is that every storm eventually does come to an endquotClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Forecasting Hope: The Weather Channel. "Every Storm Does End."

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