Courtyard by Marriott is spreading brand awareness and driving hotel bookings as the launch sponsor on AccuWeather?s revamped iPad application.

Through the sponsorship, users can find the nearest Courtyard by Marriott hotel and learn more about the brand. The media buy is part of AccuWeather?s rollout of a new app aimed at making it easier for consumers to view weather conditions.

?We first launched an iPad app a few years ago, but decided it was time for a refresh and we felt there were great opportunities to create something more compelling,? said Pascal Racheneur, vice president of interactive media at AccuWeather, State College, PA.

?We wanted to make sure that the quality of images took advantage of the screen display,? he said.

Mobile climate
When users open the AccuWeather app, the Courtyard by Marriott ads appear as banners.

The banner ads read, ?More Choices. More Options. This is Courtyard.?

Once tapped on, the banner ads expand into a landing page that encourages users to book a hotel room and learn more about the company.

Users can then book a hotel room, view amenities and connect to social media.

For a weather app, sponsorship from a hotel brand makes perfect sense. In addition to looking for their local weather results, consumers are also most likely accessing weather information while traveling and on the go and may be looking for a place to stay.

?Because I can check weather for different locations, this Courtyard by Marriott message is going to be in front of me at different locations,? Mr. Racheneur said.

Improved weather
AccuWeather updated its iPad app on May 3 to include a cleaner and simpler navigation.

The app features a dashboard that includes a daily time clock that users can swipe their finger across to visually see how the weather will change over the day. Each location also includes a five-day forecast.

Additionally, lifestyle tabs for health, sports and outdoor are included to help users plan their day.

For example, the sports section shows a weather index and how it affects different sports. If the weather conditions match the sport, a green icon appears.

Maps showing radar levels have been updated to show where rain is headed, which helps travelers stay a step ahead with the weather.

Social media is also prominently promoted throughout the app with buttons that let users quickly connect to Facebook and Twitter and share content.

AccuWeather claims its mobile Web site is bringing in more traffic than the company?s Web site with 9.5 million unique monthly users. The Web site draws in eight to ten million unique users.

Weather is consistently one of the top app categories, and AccuWeather has five million users across all of its apps, pointing to the need to be on every mobile device.

?We want to cover all key mobile platforms and take advantage of all the key features that the operating systems offer,? Mr. Racheneur said.

?No matter how the user consumes content, we want to be part of that experience,? he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York