Home Hardware and The Weather Network have partnered to launch AI-based ads that display the retailer’s promotions across Ontario, in combination with the summer weather forecast.

The ads are videos of different sizes featuring an AI-assisted avatar of the network’s content creator and host, Rachel Schoutsen, who reports on weather conditions, while a banner featuring Home Hardware promotions rolls below or above Schoutsen. The video adjusts to the location of each viewer. For example, if someone is in Muskoka or Oakville, they will be able to see a tailored ad that includes the weather for that location. The companies have produced over 400 hyper-localized videos across Ontario.

They are being launched on social media, CTV and FAST channels. Spark handles media buying, while John St. is behind the creative.

“We used a bunch of different sizes to be able to distribute the summer forecast videos to local communities across the province and in the rest of the country,” Tami Coughlan, head of sales and operations at Pelmorex (The Weather Network’s owner), tells Media in Canada.

This is the first time Home Hardware and The Weather Network have experimented with AI in advertising. According to Coughlan, the launch of the new ad unit aligns with Pelmorex’s mission to develop marketing that connects with local audiences. “There is always an appetite on the part of Canadians, as well as marketers, to be able to tell local stories at scale. That led us to… providing Canadians with hyper-local content on whatever platform they consume.”

The AI-enabled videos came about as a result of conversation between Pelmorex and Home Hardware a few months ago. Both companies wanted to be the first to explore AI in this way. Plus, taking advantage of the summer was key, Coughlan says. “Summer suits our members very well because that’s when people work away from home.”

Weather also influences consumer behaviour and is an important consideration for a retailer like Home Hardware where seasonal products are sold, Laura Baker, chief marketing officer at Home Hardware, tells Media in Canada. “For example, a bright sunny day will drive stain, exterior paint and garden product sales. A forecast of rain will drive indoor projects like swapping out a light fixture or painting a bathroom. Weather and home improvement go hand-in-hand.”

Baker says the company has more than 1,000 stores in Canada, so labelling each one was previously impossible, but AI opens up a whole new world of affordable, targeted advertising content.

“Seeing products that are on promotion and seasonally relevant is also a great way to drive consideration and footsteps into our Home stores,” she says. “In this economy, customers are deal-seeking and partnering with The Weather Network is a great venue to provide relevant offers for their needs.”

The collaboration with Pelmorex also fits with the brand’s positioning, which has been focusing its marketing strategies on highlighting its long history of helping Canadians make their houses feel like home.