2024 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

100 million people across North America suffer from seasonal allergies. The combination of climate change and allergens is lengthening the allergy season and making symptoms about three times more severe. Air pollution caused by the effects from industry and climate phenomena like wildfires, have become more frequent and unavoidable. At this rate, 50% of the entire population will suffer from allergies by 2050.

For many, the worsening air quality meant having to stay indoors: 63% have been forced to stay inside and 86% have cancelled plans on bad air days. As a brand that exists to make breathing easier for everyone, Allegra wanted to develop a purpose-driven activation that would meaningfully improve quality of life
with allergies.

The brand’s objectives were to educate consumers about the pollen and pollution health, drive engagement with the brand beyond the pill and increase sales by easing access to the product at the moments when consumers need it most.

Air quality can vary from street to street, with pockets of increased pollen and air pollution. The variability provides an opportunity to find areas of cleaner, more breathable air within localities.

Allegra “Airways” – The world’s first navigation tool that helps allergy sufferers find real-time routes with better air quality.

Allegra was behind other massive players like Claritin and Zyrtec. With entrenched purchasing behaviors already in place and little perceptual differences between the products, Allegra needed a way to deliver value to consumers beyond the medication itself to drive commercial growth. Their vision was that "no allergy sufferer should ever have to compromise what’s great in their life because of their allergies”. Through innovative, data-driven thinking, the brand was able to give consumers a solution that they didn’t have previously and with real utility.

With “Airways”, Allegra can now provide the right medication and the right data to make more informed health decisions, but also with the right education to understand what is impacting their own body. Resulting in increasing Allegra’s share of voice by more than 19 pts, moving from 3rd to 2nd
in category.

Allegra “Airways” is designed to provide real-time running, biking, and walking routes with better air quality. Covering all 9 million sq. kilometers of the U.S., down to an accuracy of 5 meters. Suggesting alternate routes with less pollen and less air pollution to their destination, powered by live data. Tracking 12 types of pollen and 7 types of air pollutants in real-time. Made accessible as a web-navigation tool Airways.Allegra.com) that works across any and every device, whether you’re going to the park, to work, or even taking the kids
to the playground.

The brand offered coupons and product trials based on live air quality – poor air quality = bigger discounts on Allegra. Next, the brand crowdsourced voices to drive change, encouraging people to “report poor air quality locations,” helping them identify high-risk locales to share with civic authorities.

“Airways” launched with experiences at SXSW. Branded pedicabs offered rides on routes with better air quality and EV-digital trucks sharing routes with less pollen and pollution, driving adoption of the tool. Allegra also partnered with celebrity and allergy sufferer, Lance Bass who shared how “Airways” helps him navigate his every day, driving 3.5billion earned impressions.

In just 5 weeks, “Airways” has made a significant impact on Allegra’s business and brand turning an undifferentiated, number 3 brand with declining sales, into and essential brand for allergy suffers, reversing the sales decline.

First, both allergy sufferers and the wider public massively engaged.

The campaign created 206,943 clean routes with the tool and generated 301 earned media placements from the likes of People and USA Today driving 3.5billion in earned media impressions. This moved Allegra from 3rd to 2nd in category share of voice, driving a 19%-point improvement for Allegra vs last year.

Next, in an undifferentiated market where Allegra was 3rd place, the brand drove a 22% pts increase in brand love, 50% increase in purchase intent, with 38% of people saying they’d switch to Allegra, a 17% increase in brand trust and a 16%pts increase in perceived brand competency.

90% of allergy sufferers now say Allegra “Airways” was ‘an eye opener’ and raised awareness of the health impacts between pollen and pollution. 87% of the general public say that Allegra “Airways” is critical in providing civic authorities with information on high-risk areas in order to enact change and 86% of sufferers say they’ll likely use the tool and breathe easier because of Allegra “Airways”.

Credits

Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer
Anthony Chelvanathan, Chief Creative Officer, Canada
Manasvi Abrol, SVP, Executive Creative Director
Anders Hallen, Head of Creative Innovation
Manuel Frank, Global Creative Chair for Health
Anna Wingard, SVP Group Design Director
Matt Webb, VP Design Director
Natee Likitsuwankool, VP Creative Director
Natalia Ahumada Arangos, Associate Design Director
Taj Reid, Chief Creative Officer, Global Chief Experience Officer
Zac Rybacki, EVP, Executive Creative Director
Ioana Brain, Senior Designer
Orla Mcnelis, Editor
Richard Keating, Editor, Freelancer
Colin Brain, Animator
Sebastian Lopez, Sr. Creative Animator
Brent Nelsen, Global Chief Strategy Officer
Debbie Lobel, Managing Director, Global Client Lead
Kaitlyn Kane, Account Supervisor
Courtney Miller, Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy
Cecile Nathan-Tilloy, Global Head of Client Strategy
Matt Sato, Executive Vice President
Katya Ramos, Senior Analytics Manager
John Morris, Vice President
Kelsie Schroeder, Research Manager
Adriana Gosler, Senior Vice President

Lyla Shaibi, Vice President
Duncan McGill, Research Analyst
Genevieve Cote, Vice President
Jordyn Radin, Account Executive
Tamara Sulliman, VP Head of Production & Creative Operations, Canada
Meghan Ochs, Senior Project Manager
Ryan Ingrasin, Head of Production
Erin Fitzsimmons, Senior Producer
David Dalton, Senior Producer
Danielle Rodriguez, Senior Producer
Marc Glanville, Executive Producer
Tia Harris, VP, Earned Media
Lori Schactman, VP, Earned Media
Kelsey Rohwer, Senior Vice President, Global Brand Marketing
Melody Skipper, Brand Marketing
Katherine Kielar, Senior Vice President
Ala Wales, Senior Manager, Talent and Influencer
Sam Kramer, Account Manager
Colombia Studio, Bogotá