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.

Our digital craft prioritizes simplicity and usability. Touch points are thoughtfully designed, allowing users to search for a destination, interact with the map, and view air quality details effortlessly. The design draws inspiration from Google's Material Design System to cultivate a sense of familiarity with frequently used route planning apps. The interface, constructed with functional minimalism in mind, is not only visually inviting with its sleek design but also highly intuitive, ensuring essential functions are easily within reach where users can expect to find them.

Detailed insights on pollutants and pollen types at any location are one tap away, supported by a quick reference educational glossary. Strategically placed navigation, labels and web copy accentuate critical information, ensuring readability without compromising the clean, uncluttered design. Information is complemented by a meticulously defined color for connectivity to the brand and iconography to elevate clarity. Central to the user experience is the ability to toggle between previewing route options and visualizing the air quality data at that location. Within the air quality tab, users can interact with color-coded heatmaps, providing a visual representation of pollution and pollen concentrations across the U.S. Furthermore, these maps offer a predictive view, displaying data projections for the upcoming eight-hour window.

Reflecting the brand’s dedication to improved air quality, this experience was crafted in five weeks to provide nationwide access by Spring 2024, the peak of allergy season. Our cross-functional team of designers, data scientists, writers, and developers collaborated across time zones, each with distinct review and deployment requirements. We adopted an agile methodology, structured into four succinct phases—defining the user experience along with Allegra’s brand expression, designing key features with rolling handoff checkpoints, translating mobile design across desktop and tablet breakpoints and a two-pronged, front and backend development workflow—to ensure a seamless and timely execution.

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.