For these outdoor promotion & activations we cannot sample, sell or demonstrate the product.

According to the World Health Organisation, New Delhi has the most polluted air in the world. Smog and pollution stop people breathing as freely and deeply as they could. And it blocks them from truly enjoying their much-loved outdoor activities.

As a step to help outdoor enthusiasts breathe better, we developed a sponsorship between Otrivin and the Amity Gurgaon Half Marathon, which took place in the outskirts of New Delhi on April 3rd. Otrivin helped temporarily reduce pollution by using mist cannons to extract suspended particles in the air before and during the race. Much like how rain cleans the air, we made it rain very locally, and more efficiently, to create a temporary corridor of healthy air on the running track.

This execution represented a shift in thinking for the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry. Rather than standing on the sidelines with conservative communication, we took the benefit of

We teamed up with the GSK human performance lab and the renowned Amity University, organiser of India’s popular Amity Gurgaon Half Marathon, on the outskirts of New Delhi.

In the lead up to the event, we bought mist cannons with Otrivin branding, making the cannons look similar to our highly recognisable nasal spray.

These cannons are used in mining & construction industry. We refined them by making the nozzles even smaller, so they could take pollution particles till pm2,5 out. Before the race we sprayed the running track several times & measured the air quality. During the race we drove a mobile unit five minutes ahead of every starting group (there's a kids' race, 5k, 10k & open race) to optimise the impact for every single runner.

This action improved the quality of the air for the 6000 runners, making them aware Otrivin is committed to helping people breathe better.

• Achievement against targets: First results show a removal of pollution and reduced dust particles (sized PM2,5 to PM100) from entering the respiratory system. A 93% decrease average was measured on key locations.

• Engagement: We helped 6000 people breathe better and experience a better and healthier run. Despite the circumstances (Delhi summer temperatures), no respiratory emergencies occurred.

• Visibility: As one of the main sponsors of the marathon, we were highly visible: branded cannons, 30 banners, logos on the bibs of runners and logos on the start/finish.

• Reach: We reached out to an estimated online audience of 400k people within the first days,and got several minutes of national coverage on India's most viewed news channel NDTV, reaching millions of viewers.

* Impact on brand awareness, behavior change or business results couldn’t be measured yet.

Conclusion: this is a new way to make outdoor events healthier &more enjoyable

During a popular running race in one of the world's most polluted cities, we cleaned the air on the track, allowing people to breathe better. With 6000 people participating in the race, this idea created a tangible opportunity to connect Otrivin’s nasal spray with breathing better, on a large scale.

As the treatment was applied to the entire track, all of the participants had the benefit of directly participating in the Otrivin activation on event day.

By improving the air quality we had a direct impact on the crowd, the runners & their performance.

With this campaign, we wanted to move the brand from cold culture to popular culture. Our target was urban individuals and families living an active lifestyle in big cities. These outdoor enthusiasts are most acutely affected by their city’s air quality.

Bearing this in mind, we were led to the insight that as smog and pollution stop people breathing as freely they could, they are therefore literally blocked from truly enjoying their much-loved outdoor activities. We settled on New Delhi as the ideal location, as India is one of the brand’s key markets and it contains some of the most polluted cities in the world.

To bring the brand’s purpose -'breathe better'- to life, we wanted to demonstrate that if people can breathe better immediately, nothing should block them from enjoying their wonderful everyday.

Otrivin is the world’s leading nasal decongestant spray. It provides targeted and immediate relief from nasal congestion. The brand has one simple purpose: make people breathe better so they can enjoy the wonderful everyday.

Although everyone can identify with breathing limitations due to a blocked nose, not everyone makes the association with Otrivin when this occurs. As a result, the brief’s challenge was to engage with people in a meaningful and memorable way. Because people are not so interested in nasal sprays, the objective was to move from the cold culture to popular culture, bringing the brand closer to people’s lives while helping them breathe better.