Do people still read the Farmers’ Almanac? Apparently so. The 2009 Farmers Almanac was just released, and the predictions are spreading across the web. Snap, I like viral news, but I don’t like old stuff.
The almanac, which has a 192 year old history, claims an 80-85 percent accuracy rate for their weather predictions which are 2 years in advance. The Farmers’ Almanac, different from the "Old" Farmers’ Almanac, has expanded their brand into merchandise and online webcasts.
This year, the publication predicted colder-than-average temperatures which will be "catastrophic for millions of people."
For those people that prefer a little thing called ‘science’ the National Weather Service uses a trends-based outlook, which suggests warmer than normal weather.
I’m gonna bet on global warming and math this year…
Undying Superstition
Farmers' Almanac Predicts Cold Weather, People Still Care
Trend Themes
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Continued Interest in Folklore and Superstitions — Brands can innovate by tapping into nostalgia and traditional beliefs.
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Accuracy-based Marketing — Flexibility and fine-tuning can disrupt the traditional marketing of weather forecasting businesses.
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Online Brand Extension — Brands can create additional revenue streams through merchandise and webcasts.
Industry Implications
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Weather Forecasting — Innovations in predicting accuracy and marketing strategies can disrupt the industry.
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Publishing — Brands can create extensions through merchandise and webcasts.
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E-commerce — Online shops for various merchandise related to weather can be created and marketed.