Adopt Your Allergies put a scientific study to the proof in the form of not one, but two brand led experiences targeting allergic people.

First came a press release conference, where we invited journalists, influencers, and allergic cat lovers from around Colombia to experience this breakthrough by themselves. All of them who had previously declared to be allergic to cats.

After a SM campaign, act two followed. Colombia’s biggest cat adoption day, played in the form of a speed date between allergic cat lovers and neutered cats that were waiting for a family.

Two acts. Zero allergy related symptoms.

Sadly, in Colombia, as probably happens in many other countries in the world, stray cats that don’t get rescued and adopted, often get put down.

To right two wrongs, Allegra invited cat lovers that thought couldn’t adopt cats, to do so. ‘Adopt your allergies’ played as a selfness brand effort that empowered people to live their best version by embracing their preconceptions and adopting the pet they always wanted, without having to take a single Allegra pill.

At the end, we were not only helping people to live Allegra’s purpose by not letting allergies hold them back, but also multiplied the chances of many cats of being adopted.

Allegra is the #1 allergy brand worldwide, and its purpose is to not let allergies hold people back.

We wanted to help cat lovers to become cat owners by providing a solution that was backed up by academic research, Allegra doctors, and adoption centers. A ‘neutering for adoption program’ so cat lovers with allergies could own cats, and fewer cats were put down.

Thanks to this campaign and its two main activations (press conference and cat adoption speed date day) we managed to put Allegra’s purpose to the test in the most selfness way possible, and by doing this, we also helped adoptable cats to get into people’s lives.

“Making impossible loves, possible”.

To get allergies out of people’s minds, and adoptable rescued cats into people’s homes, we put both a scientific study backed by top universities and allergic people to the toughest test. And it worked.

By running a social media campaign starred by a cat influencer (should we say catfluencer?) “Michú” and not one, but two activations, we managed to educate people about cat allergies and the biases around it. The endgame was to make people understand that they are not allergic to cats, but to a specific protein (Fel D1) found in cats’ fur, that is reduced by up to 90% once rescued cats are commonly neutered to be given out for adoptions.

We targeted cat lovers. Cat lovers that are allergic to cats, to be more specific.

We knew they were safe to be around neutered cats, and as the #1 allergy brand worldwide, we also knew we had to put this academic finding to the toughest test: by inviting people to experience this breakthrough in their own skin. Like an illusionist that plays a trick in front of your eyes and under your nose, without the watery eyes or the runny nose. And with no illusion at all.

People that believed or even had been diagnosed with cat-allergy related problems could experience their love for cats for the first time.

Thanks to these activations starred by hundreds of Colombians, thousand million people worldwide would get this information straight allowing them to live their lives -and loves- to the fullest.

The campaign ran during a month, starting with the Press Conference that was packed with cats and ending with Colombia’s biggest cat adoption day ever held.

Between those to brand led experiences, we ran a social media campaign, plus contextual banners that showed cats as ‘related products’ in both Colombia’s #1 Pharmacy chain and Colombia’s #1 online pet shop.

What started as the biggest cat adoption day in Colombia’s history, ended up being a huge global success for the brand, achieving a reach of over 1.15 BILLION and amazingly turning the most selfness campaign ever aired by Allegra in Colombia, in one of the most successful commercial achievements in that market. And soon to be implemented in UK and Australia.

Despite being a purpose-led campaign and selfness effort from Allegra:

In a contracted category that had been with a negative trend for the last two years, we managed to grow +10% ABOVE THE MARKET (delta) gaining +1.9 points of Market Share vs MTH LY.

We achieved a record Market Share in the last 20 MONTHS reaching 16.8% by total Allegra Brand.

When zooming into the adult category, we achieved an incredible Market Share record in the last 4 YEARS reaching 17.7% (in values) and 4.8% (in units), even more than when Allegra switched to be a OTC in 2019.

We grew above market with a ratio of 22.6X with Allegra Adults, with ‘Adopt Your Allergies’ as the only driver (Allegra Media Investment was 100% focused on this campaign during the month that the campaign ran).

PR:

With only 9 paid publications:

National Reach: 23,433,728

International Reach: 1,127,393,483

Total Reach: 1,150,827,211