Idea:

Allergy sufferers can compare the Allergy Impact score against the pollen count to easily learn if their symptoms will feel better or worse than the pollen count suggests.

Data Insight:

Our primary research correlated weather data with allergy search terms and social mentions to discover the factors that have the greatest impact on allergy symptoms.

• Some of these factors are: precipitation, temperature, wind, dew-point, time of day, previous day’s pollen count, search, social mentions and user tracking inputs.

Innovation:

After identifying these variables, we applied a statistical model to account for regional variations across the United States, and used live data from all 41,000 U.S. zip codes to populate our model. The resulting index is accurate at the local level for each of these U.S. zip codes.

Originality:

Allergy Impact is a unique algorithm based on our hypothesis that there are factors that impact allergy symptoms beyond pollen count. Primary research identified these factors. And our equation is the first to predict “real feel” for pollen count.

If Allergy Impact is higher than the pollen count, you may feel more sneezy than expected. If Allergy Impact is lower, you may feel better than you’d think.

Allergy impact has quantitative and qualitative outputs:

• The Allergy Impact score is compared against the pollen count.

• The background color changes with allergy intensity: green, yellow, orange, red.

• Copy describes context, for example, “Allergy Impact is higher than the pollen count. Today may feel itchy with a side of sneezy.”

In addition to providing a “real feel” for pollen, Allergy Impact displays how other people in your local area are feeling, including symptoms of: nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, itchy eyes, itchy nose or throat.

Results since launch four months ago:

• More than a million visits on the web, mobile site and app.

• 30% of users view Allergy Impact every day during allergy season.

• A survey of 10,000 users shows Allergy Impact increases ZYRTEC® purchase intent by 75%.

• As part of a campaign, Allergy Impact has helped increase ZYRTEC® sales by 27.6% in the first quarter of this year.

Results have exceeded our expectations on every level:

• We achieved our objective of building loyalty for the ZYRTEC® brand.

• We competed successfully against other allergy brands, in spite of our our lower share of voice.

• We created a “real-feel” for pollen that makes a meaningful difference in helping allergy sufferers manage their symptoms.

• Allergy Impact is a sophisticated algorithm, and the first “real feel” index for pollen.

• It was developed in association with university allergists and environmental scientists, Constant Analytics – a leader in statistical modeling, and Johnson & Johnson.

• It's an original use of data to predict how pollen might really impact allergy sufferers.

• It's from the makers of ZYRTEC®, a leading allergy medication, and it has been proven to help allergy sufferers better manage their symptoms.

Allergy Impact is a regression model using historical and current data to predict a future outcome, in this case how the pollen count will make an allergy sufferer feel.

Data Gathering:

The data is gathered from:

• Publicly available sources, like Google Analytics and social media;

• Subscription services, like weather and pollen data feeds;

• Proprietary sources, like owned channel metrics, sales data and user inputs.

Data Interpretation:

We compare historical weather data from 10,000 weather stations against three years of daily search and millions of social mentions, to determine which real-time data factors have the greatest impact on allergy symptoms. Then live data is pulled into the equation using both existing and custom coded API’s. The output is delivered through a user friendly, graphical interface on web and mobile sites, through a web app, and mobile apps.

Targeting:

• Allergy Impact is promoted using shopper data from retail partners, online browsing history and online purchase behavior.

• Media includes pre-roll, online display advertising, newsletters and in-store signage.

• Discussions are taking place to syndicate Allergy Impact on the news, weather programming and retail partner web sites.

Background:

There is a “real-feel” index for temperature. There is a “wind-chill” factor for cold. But allergy sufferers still rely on the same old pollen count – a measure of particles in the air that doesn’t tell allergy sufferers how they will really feel.

Situation:

The allergy medication category is extremely competitive. ZYRTEC® allergy medication is outspent 2-1 on television by competitors. We can’t outspend them, but we can outsmart them. Data-driven, digital technology can play a meaningful role in helping allergy sufferers feel better, thus reinforcing their choice of ZYRTEC.®

Brief:

Create a “real-feel” pollen index so people know how their allergies might really feel.

Objective:

Build loyalty for ZYRTEC® allergy medication by helping allergy sufferers better understand and manage their symptoms.