The forecast for 2025: Weather data can shape the future of advertising

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on The Current by The Trade Desk.

Remember your favorite neighborhood business — the one that knows your name, anticipates your needs and makes you feel like you’re part of something real? That connection isn’t just good business; it’s the essence of humanity. What brings us comfort, peace of mind and trust in our communities is no different from how marketers are approaching 2025.

We’re witnessing a transformation in advertising, driven by both consumer advocacy and regulatory frameworks that seek to harness technology’s potential while safeguarding privacy and overall well-being. The next frontier isn’t about more technology — it’s about using it wisely to foster real human connections that matter.

Based on the fundamental human truths of community, trust and authentic connection, here are three transformative trends in advertising that will define 2025 onward.

Think globally, act locally

The numbers tell a compelling story: 60% of marketers and content creators localize their content, and 68% of U.S. internet users believe that when national brands adapt their messaging to reflect regional nuances, it enhances the relevance of ads and demonstrates that advertisers are investing in local communities. This isn’t just a trend; it’s foundational to how brands create relevance.

Local advertising taps in to the immediate reality of your audience’s environment. The most successful brands speak to consumers in their immediate context, tailoring messages to what matters most in that specific moment. Weather patterns offer a perfect paradigm for this approach, where global systems manifest in highly specific local impacts that shape consumer behavior and needs.

Consider this: A national quick-service restaurant might leverage real-time weather data to adjust its promotions based on patterns in a given neighborhood, offering refreshing drinks during heat waves or seamless delivery services during inclement weather. Similarly, energy providers could craft their messaging around regional weather events, alerting and educating communities to preparedness measures during severe conditions.

While localization creates the foundation for relevant messaging, the next evolution in advertising authenticity comes through reimagining what true influence means in consumers’ lives.

Influencer marketing that doesn’t sacrifice trust

In 2025, authenticity will be the most valuable currency in advertising. As people become more skeptical of traditional influencer marketing, they are gravitating toward sources of influence that feel genuine, trustworthy and meaningful to their lives.

Consider weather: it’s the original influencer, and the most universal of all, affecting everything from our moods to our purchasing decisions. This makes weather an incredibly powerful and trusted source of influence (maybe even more so than the acclaimed Martha Stewart).

Leading brands are already operating at the intersection of trust and impact. Weather-informed campaigns in the home-improvement sector have seen engagement rates soar by 320%, as measured by Meta Ads Manager and Google Analytics. Why? Because they connect with consumers at moments of genuine need, not manufactured opportunity.

As brands master the art of authentic influence, they’re turning to AI-powered solutions to scale these meaningful connections without losing the human touch.

AI-powered personalization and consumer experiences

The conversation around AI is shifting from “what’s possible” to “what’s meaningful.” The most successful marketers are leveraging AI purposefully, ethically, and as an amplifier of human insight and connection. The key to AI’s potential is not the technology alone, but finding data sources that are universally relevant while respecting consumer privacy — sources like weather.

Weather is nature’s own predictive algorithm, influencing how we feel, what we buy and how we live. By layering AI’s pattern-recognition capabilities with human behaviors, brands can unlock new dimensions of consumer understanding, driving more effective and relevant interactions across the digital ecosystem. When weather and AI come together, you create deep, authentic, personalized experiences. For example, a mosquito-repellent brand reaches parents with education and awareness messaging to keep their families safe, while also influencing weather data in advanced multivariant modeling to ensure their product is on the shelf when consumers need it the most.

With 89% of business leaders believing ethical use of AI can be a competitive business advantage, forward-thinking brands are prioritizing data signals that are both powerful and inherently consumer-centric. The key is not how much data you have, but how well you translate that data into scaled experiences that still feel personal and add value to people’s lives.

Looking ahead

As we accelerate toward 2025, the forecast is clear: The future belongs to brands that can harness technology to make every interaction feel as personal as your favorite local business, at a global scale.