Allegra Airways is a data-driven creative idea that combines pollen and pollution data for the first time, creating an ever-changing real-time data story about the air we’re breathing.

Current weather apps provide vague and vast air quality forecasts, leaving 72% of allergy-sufferers unable to enjoy moving outdoors. Our real-time navigation tool covers every street in the U.S., down to a 5-meter accuracy. Powered by a 7-layer-multimodal approach that tracks 12 types of pollen and 6 types of air pollutants in real-time. Helping allergy sufferers move from point a to point b with minimal exposure.

One doesn’t immediately associate poor air quality with North America. But the raging wildfires of 2023 made its poor air quality visible and worse. New York City was recently ranked as the city with the 2nd worse air quality in the world – followed by Toronto and Montreal.

This crisis led to rising levels of fine inhalable particles in the air, small enough to travel deep into and irritate the respiratory tract (called PM 2.5). These particles have increased by 5 micrograms per cubic meter in the past decade, almost negating policy-driven improvements in air quality.

North Americans are feeling the effects, as pollen season is now 20 days longer than it was 20 years ago – and 21% more intense. It was important for antihistamine producer Allegra to help people breathe easier. But there was more to it than that...

As the 3rd allergy medication to market, with a perception that the product is functionally identical, Allegra needed a way to deliver value to consumers beyond the medication itself in order to drive commercial growth. Their vision that "no allergy sufferer should ever have to compromise what’s great in their life because of their allergies” was their compass. Through innovative thinking and real-time data, that vision is now reality.

With Allegra Airways they can now provide the right medication and the right data to make more informed health decisions, but also with the right educational information to understand what is impacting their own body.

Situation:

81M+ Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. Climate change is making pollen seasons longer, more intense and worsening symptoms. Air pollution caused by the effects of industry and climate phenomena (e.g. wildfires) have become more frequent, visible, and discussed. It’s estimated that 50% of all people will suffer from allergies by 2050.

Brief:

As a brand that exists to make breathing easier for everyone, Allegra wanted to develop a purpose-driven activation. Being 3rd to market among many antihistamine products, medication alone wasn’t enough to stand out. Our brief was to develop an activation that elevated Allegra’s value – not only treat allergy symptoms but change lives by addressing the external factors that cause them.

Objectives:

Educate consumers about the pollen and pollution health connection, drive engagement with the brand beyond the pill and increase sales by easing access to the product at moments when consumers need it most.

Our data analysis uncovered real insight: variability in local air quality. There are areas with more pollen and air pollution, but that also provides an opportunity to find pockets of cleaner, more breathable air within localities.

We built an innovative solution that guides sufferers to cleaner, more breathable air for their everyday lives. Allegra Airways is the world’s first navigation tool specifically 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.

Made accessible as a web-navigation tool that works across any and every device, whether you’re going to the park, to work, or even taking the kids to the playground.

To understand their pain points our discovery had to consider their lived experience and their cultural context. We began with a meta-analysis of scientific data on poor air quality and its effects on health and learned that when pollution combines with pollen it exacerbates allergy symptoms by 3 times.

Then, we conducted social listening using AI tools, and ran an in-market perception shift study, learning that 63% of allergy sufferers had become worried about the everyday air they were breathing, trapping themselves in their houses on bad air days.

These feelings and behaviors were exacerbated by an overwhelming 26,000 news and social media articles urging people to stay indoors during those days.

This defined our strategy: Provide meaningful value for allergy sufferers by putting actionable data and an easily accessible product in their hands so they don’t need to compromise their life outdoors.

Airways was built as an accessible web-based tool (Airways.Allegra.com) in partnership with an environmental data company that meets National Allergy Bureau standards.

To help allergy sufferers find their way with minimal exposure, we tracked 12 types of pollen and 6 types of air pollutants in real-time, down to an accuracy of 5 meters. This was tracked using data from 7 different sources like satellite imagery, local air sensors, industry air quality and AI forecasting, revealing routes with better air quality.

Our data also helped protect allergy sufferers with Allegra, offering coupons based on live air quality at a location – high pollen levels = bigger discounts on Allegra. And to empower allergy sufferers in the long-term, we crowdsourced voices to drive change too. Encouraging people to “report a location,” if they experience poor air quality. Helping us identify high-risk locations and share that data with civic authorities.

In just 5 weeks, the innovation and following campaign made a significant impact on Allegra’s business and brand with engagement from allergy sufferers and the wider public:

• Created 206,943 clean routes within the service, resulting in 55,874,610 clean breaths taken

• Generated 3.5billion in earned media impressions from the likes of USA Today moving from 3rd to 2nd in category share of voice.

Next, in an undifferentiated market where Allegra was 3rd place, we’ve driven:

• +50% increase in purchase intent, with 38% of people saying they’d switch to Allegra

• +17% pts increase in brand trust

• +16% pts increase in perceived brand competency

Now, 86% of sufferers say they’ll likely use the tool, a massive 73m allergy sufferers can now breathe easier because of Allegra Airways.

We’ve turned a 4% decline in sales into 1.45% growth, driving $3m in sales and still building.