Subway managed to boost store traffic by 31% by adjusting its digital ad targeting to correspond with changes in the weather.
The company used AI to create ads for a foot-long sandwich promotion based on weather patterns. For example, campaign ads touting hot sandwiches would not be seen in areas that were experiencing high temperatures. The technology that makes this and other iterations possible is a combination of artificial intelligence from IBM called Weatherfx Footfall, Watson’s real-time signal-based targeting tool, and IBM’s MetroPulse platform, which provides insights about neighborhood demographics.
This approach to targeting just makes sense for Subway and similar QSRs for which the decision to visit can be made very quickly. Weather-targeting will likely become more popular as technology makes its execution easier, and this example demonstrates the results that can come with its strategic implementation.