This allergy medicine brand created lots of buzz by… planting trees! Learn more here!

From the desk of Miles Everson:

Do you know why guerrilla marketing resonates deeply with me?

It’s because campaigns of this type push marketers to break free from the ordinary and find creative ways to connect with their audience.

When done right, guerrilla marketing campaigns generate hype and capture attention in a unique, meaningful, and engaging way.

Today, I’m thrilled to showcase another example of this strategy that generated meaningful engagement.

Continue reading to know how this company raised public awareness while generating buzz for its brand and products!

This allergy medicine brand created lots of buzz by… planting trees! Learn more here!

Did you know the amount of pollen—one of the most common triggers of seasonal allergies—is expected to double by 2040?

At present, allergies affect over 30% of adults and 40% of children in the U.S.

… and with pollen levels expected to double by 2040, all signs point to an increase in the number of people affected by allergies.

While that may seem like bad news, a pharmaceutical company saw it as an opportunity to raise awareness for the issue AND come up with a solution!

How?

By planting female trees !

Combatting Allergies

According to data gathered by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) , allergies affect over 100 million people in the U.S.

Moreover, most of the pollen that causes allergic reactions traces its source from trees, grasses, and weeds.

Since pollen is expected to double in number in less than 2 decades from now, the importance of finding a way to mitigate its impact cannot be stated enough.

That’s why Bayer Consumer Health , the pharmaceutical company behind Claritin, one of the most popular medications for treating allergies, partnered with Cornell University to learn more about the pollen-producing trees.

As it turns out, male trees are the culprit for producing allergenic pollen. On the other hand, female trees do not and in fact, actually absorb pollen.

What’s more?

It was discovered that there was a botanical imbalance as there were more male trees than female trees.

This imbalance stems from a 1949 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommendation that advised urban cities to plant male trees “when used for street plantings.” This is due to the fact that more cleanup is involved with female trees as these are the ones producing petals, berries, and fruits.

With this in mind, Bayer Consumer Health launched the DiversiTree Project with the aim of creating allergy-fighting spaces by planting and delivering female trees across the U.S.

The project also aimed to raise awareness about pollen-producing trees through the release of data that policymakers and city planners can use to make well-informed decisions.

As part of this effort, the pharmaceutical company announced it was funding the planting of the first female forest in Forest Hill Park in Richmond, Virginia—one of the worst cities in the U.S. for allergies.

Meanwhile, to raise public awareness for the initiative, Bayer Consumer Health partnered with Energy BBDO to help in announcing the launch of the project in 2023 and gathering as much attention for the project as possible.

So… was the initiative a success?

YES !

During the first year of the program, over 200,000 female trees were planted, reducing pollen levels by 25%. Moreover, over 6.5 million square feet of allergy-fighting green spaces were created.

Claritin also saw a 255% increase in brand searches, increasing its exposure among consumers.

Aside from these results, Bayer Consumer Health and Energy BBDO received accolades from prestigious awards-giving bodies like The One Club , D&AD , and Clio Awards .

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By identifying a problem and coming up with a solution to solve it, Bayer Consumer Health was able to raise public awareness about a problem that ails a great amount of people.

This campaign goes to show that doing a public good can go hand in hand with promoting your own brand.

So, the next time you think about how you can expand your reach among your target audience, think about a pain point that you can solve for them.

You never know, this just might be what you need to take your visibility to the next level!

I hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful!

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Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing!

Do you want to know how one beverage brand diffused heated moments in the 2022 World Cup ?

See it in next week’s article!