• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, September 12, 2004

Weather.com, the online site for The Weather Channel, is trying to lure advertisers with new offerings including advertorials and ads that vary with changes in the weather, according to Paul Iaffaldano, who oversees ad sales for the Web site and television channel.

The first advertorial, which will be for Scott's fertilizer, will run in the next several weeks in the site's "Lawn and Garden" section, says Iaffaldano.

It's all part of an effort to offer advertisers "stronger opportunities," says Iaffaldano. Advertorials, he says, will appeal to viewers who concentrate primarily on the words, as opposed to images, when they visit the site. "Some consumers respond more to text-oriented material," he says.

The site, which shows weather conditions based on ZIP code, also has sections geared toward outdoor activities and health--particularly weather-related allergies. Advertisers include pharmaceutical companies, especially those selling products related to allergies or sports-related arthritis relief, sporting goods manufacturers, and health food manufacturers.

Weather.com also recently started tailoring ads to viewers based on ZIP code and Web-surfing habits. For instance, says Iaffaldano, a viewer who searches for weather in a ZIP code where it's sunny that day might receive an ad for a car with a sun roof; on a rainy day, the viewer might receive the same manufacturer's ad for an all-weather vehicle.

In addition, the posts different ads based on users' history on the site. "If someone visits a page three times a week, we don't want to show them same ad three times a week," Iaffaldano says.

The Web site will present its new initiatives in seven cities--Detroit, Boston, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Chicago--between Sept. 21 and Oct. 27.