The Canadian outdoor season lasts about four months and the buying window that funds it lasts about three weeks. Everything in this category is decided by when you filmed, not by how well.

The window opens with the thaw

The moment the snow goes, people buy plants, furniture, barbecues and everything else at once, in a burst that lasts days rather than weeks. Content published after that burst reaches an audience that has already spent.

Which means filming out of season

You cannot film a summer garden in April. The usable footage is shot the previous summer, edited over winter and published in early spring. Brands that plan a year ahead have material; brands that plan in March have a shoot they cannot do.

The season differs by four to six weeks across the country

Victoria and Winnipeg do not thaw at the same time, and a national campaign launched on one date is early for half the country and late for the other. Either stagger the publishing or avoid tying the message to a specific week.

Show it surviving a Canadian winter

Outdoor furniture, planters and equipment all face a question nobody asks in a mild climate: what happens to it in January. A video showing storage, or showing the thing still working after a winter outside, addresses the objection that actually blocks the sale.

The short season is the argument, not the problem

Four months is not long, which is precisely why people invest in making it good. A video that acknowledges the shortness and sells the intensity performs better than one pretending Canada has a Mediterranean summer.

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Frequently asked questions

How long is the buying window?

Roughly three weeks after the thaw.

When should it be filmed?

The previous summer.

Is the season national?

No, it varies by four to six weeks.

What objection blocks the sale?

What happens to it over winter.