Allegra - Airways
The challenge:
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 too many, the worsening air quality meant having to stay indoors: 63% have been forced to stay inside because of their allergies and 86% have cancelled plans or avoided going outdoors 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.
Our 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.
The insight & idea: 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.
We’re introducing Allegra Airways - the world’s first navigation tool that helps allergy sufferers find real-time routes with better air quality.
The plan:
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.
We offered coupons and product trials based on live air quality – poor air quality = bigger discounts on Allegra. Next, we crowdsourced voices to drive change, encouraging people to “report poor air quality locations,” helping us 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 wellness influencers and celebrity and allergy sufferer, Lance Bass who shared his story with millions of followers on how Airways helps him navigate his every day, together driving 3.5 billion earned impressions.
What happened/results:
In just 5 weeks, the innovation and following campaign 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:
Created 685,000 clean routes with the tool.
Generated 301 earned media placements from the likes of People and USA Today driving 4.4 billion in earned media impressions.
That’s 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, we’ve driven:
+ 22% pts increase in brand love
+ 50% increase in purchase intent, with 38% of people saying they’d switch to Allegra
+17% increase in brand trust
And +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.
Now, 86% of sufferers say they’ll likely use the tool and breathe easier because of Allegra Airways.
