Even at the Indianapolis 500, it takes more than slapping a logo on a race car for a brand like Allegra to emerge from the pack.
The Sanofi-produced over-the-counter allergy medication doesn’t get much return from having its trademark shade of purple simply make fast left turns in Indianapolis on Memorial Day weekend. Instead, the brand drilled a bit deeper for the race’s 109th installment, bringing 2022 Indy 500 winner, 2023 runner-up, and allergy sufferer Marcus Ericsson into the fold to share his story and add some depth to the sponsorship.
When you’re an allergy pill claiming a non-drowsy formula and “0% brain interference,” there are few stronger tests of your brand thesis than having it quell allergies at a clear-headed 220 miles per hour.
“I have a strong brand, and I want to make sure that my partners can take advantage of that, and we can sort of win together and both have benefits from the partnership,” Ericsson told ADWEEK from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I always try to make sure that happens, and hopefully, having a strong month of May and winning the race will make it an even better partnership. I think the Allegra car will look pretty good in victory lane in a couple of weeks.”
Meanwhile, when fans watching the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway—tuning into the race on Fox on May 25—see Ericsson pull into the pits, they’ll get a chance to play around with the Allegra Pit Shop. His team at TWG Motorsports’ Andretti Global has outfitted its pit crew in purple jumpsuits with QR codes on the back, allowing fans to scan the codes and win prizes, including a trip to an upcoming race.
The Andretti family began its Indianapolis 500 legacy when Mario Andretti won the 1969 installment. As a team owner, Andretti has won six races since 1995—a total that’s still second overall in Indy 500 history to reigning champion Penske’s 20. If there was any trepidation about how racing professionals working for a family with that racing pedigree would react to purple gear and QR codes on their backs, it disappeared once the cameras arrived.
“We had a photo shoot/media day with the pit crew, and we were probably not nervous, but it’s like, OK, who’s going to want to do that?” said Jill Gregory, president of Andretti Global. “We couldn’t keep these guys off camera: They are like, ‘Finally, someone’s paying attention to us.’”
