Paid media and measurement · Large-scale mobile promotion field data analysis
Sunny, Rainy, and Cloudy with a Chance of Mobile Promotion Effectiveness
Li, C., Luo, X., Zhang, C., & Wang, X. (2017). Marketing Science, 36(5), 762–779.
Plain-English take
The study found that response was higher and faster in sunny than cloudy conditions, and lower and slower in rainy than cloudy conditions. For your marketing: This is a reminder that context can moderate campaign response.
How much weight to give this
2.5/5 Limited or context-dependent evidence
The 1–5 evidence-check score is a practical reading aid, not a formal peer review or a probability that a conclusion is true. It combines design strength (2 points), sample reporting (1), comparison/control clarity (1), and how much of the paper could be checked (1). Access affects how confidently this directory can assess a study, not the study's underlying quality. Blinding is reported separately because it is not relevant to every design.
The accessible description does not establish a strong causal design.
A usable sample size is not stated in the profile's accessible source.
Comparison or control details are limited in the reviewed source.
This profile could be checked against an abstract or metadata, not the full paper.
Double-blind? Not applicable in the same way as a participant-treatment experiment.
Research question
What the authors investigated
Do local weather conditions and advertising tone change consumers’ response to mobile promotions?
Design
The study analyzes mobile promotion response in relation to local weather and message tone and tests whether the pattern is explained only by differences in mobile usage.
Sample and setting
Mobile promotion campaigns observed across weather conditions; the publisher summary reports comparative response timing and purchase response but not a full sample description.
Reported result
What the study found
The authors report that response was higher and faster in sunny than cloudy conditions, and lower and slower in rainy than cloudy conditions. Message tone altered these weather-related response patterns.
This is a paraphrase of the source. Check the original paper for definitions, estimates, statistical uncertainty and analysis details.
Scope and transfer
Limitations to keep in view
The summary concerns specific mobile promotion data and cannot establish that weather targeting is appropriate or profitable for every product, market or location. Exact sample and model details require the paper.
Possible founder application
A reminder that context can moderate campaign response. For location-sensitive products, test contextual variables with controlled allocation and include the cost and practical value of targeting.
Evidence access
Publisher record and INFORMS research summary
INFORMS article record and publisher research summary; high-level summary only, with no universal benchmark claim.
If only an abstract or metadata was available, the profile is limited to claims supported there. A paper's paywall does not change its evidentiary status, but it limits what we can substantiate from accessible text.