How public relations helped Bournemouth make an inaccurate weather forecast into a PR opportunity

If we do like to be beside the seaside, it is usually when the sun is shining. So when forecasts are depressing, business suffers at many resorts, and Bournemouth Borough Council’s Tourist office has made a name for itself this year in the media by complaining the most about this. It might not be able to change the weather, but it shouts the loudest when forecasters get it wrong. The council generated national coverage in May, when it complained that inaccurate forecasting that had predicted showers in Bournemouth had stopped around 25,000 people visiting on Bank Holiday Monday, while the area actually enjoyed good weather all day.This story featured on Radio 4, BBC Radio Solent, Wave 105 fm, Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Coventry, BBC Radio Leeds, BBC Radio Leicester, BBC Radio Northamptonshire, Radio 3 Counties, BBC News 24, BBC South Today, ITV Meridian and Five News as well as many of the major nationals including The Daily Mail, The Times and The Independent.

All news is good news
Mark Smith, Director of Tourism at Bournemouth Borough outlines how much the weather story in May was worth in terms of publicity: “The weather in Bournemouth made national headlines and generated positive coverage of Bournemouth worth £148,826 to the town (Advertising Value Equivalent).” He adds that this coverage was carefully orchestrated by the publicity team, saying, “Taking a popular topic such as weather or beach activities is a great start, but without highly skilled, creative and experienced communicators you don't even get off the starting blocks in the race to engage national media. The real benefit to our local businesses is that more potential customers get to hear, see and read about the delights of Bournemouth. Awareness increases and, as a direct consequence, the effectiveness of all our lead-generation marketing activity is also driven higher. More business for Bournemouth."

Bournemouth’s tourism spokespeople blamed the Met Office for inaccurate forecasting of the May Bank Holiday, claiming these wrong forecasts lost it over a million pounds of tourist income. However, it is probably Britain’s unreliable weather that should be blamed, instead of the messenger that delivers the news. Barry Gromett, forecaster at the Met Office, often has to defend forecasts and believes that much of the criticism is undeserved. He says: “People have the misguided notion that we err on the side of caution with our forecasts, but we don’t put a forecast out and then take a second look at it to see how it can be altered to attract less criticism. Each and every forecast is delivered with the best of intentions.“ Gromett points out that although the office does not get it right every time, as we are victim to such a “chaotic” atmosphere, around six out of seven one-day forecasts are accurate. Talking about longer-range forecasts, he
adds: “It is difficult enough getting it right for the next few days, let alone next for the next few months. Also, trying to interpret a technical message from scientists and translate it into something that is easy to understand is quite a challenge.“ Although he adds: “Seasonal forecasts are improving all the time.“

Enjoying bad weather
As Gromett goes on to say, the British are famous across the globe for being obsessed with our climate, and weather stories are often in the news. “We do have a great interest in the weather, but then it does change so much here. It may just be the result of the geographical accident of where we live, but it makes it much more interesting and worthwhile for forecasters working in this country.”
It is not the Met Office’s job to use PR to publicise its more sunny forecasts for the tourist industry, so it is up to the tourist bodies to make the most of weather news to generate as much publicity as possible. And Bournemouth’s council succeeded in making hay whilst the sun shined when just one wrong forecast made so much national news.

Darren Northeast, principal of Bournemouth marketing and PR agency Spiral MPR, believes that Bournemouth gets talked about, not just because of its tourist office making a fuss, but because generally the area is so good at maintaining its reputation. He says: “Bournemouth has a great PR profile, and is well renowned for its seven-mile stretch of golden sand, cosmopolitan lifestyle and now fast becoming 'the place to be seen'. And it's this reputation that keeps the media interested and wanting more as to what Bournemouth offers.” And for anyone who may be thinking of taking a trip to Bournemouth this weekend and wants to know whether to pack an umbrella, check the latest forecast for Bournemouth from the Met Office here.