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.<\/p>\n
The Sanofi-produced over-the-counter allergy medication doesn\u2019t 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re an allergy pill claiming a non-drowsy formula and \u201c0% brain interference,\u201d there are few stronger tests of your brand thesis than having it quell allergies at a clear-headed 220 miles per hour.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d Ericsson told ADWEEK from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, when fans watching the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway\u2014tuning into the race on Fox on May 25\u2014see Ericsson pull into the pits, they\u2019ll get a chance to play around with the Allegra Pit Shop. His team at TWG Motorsports\u2019 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2014a total that\u2019s still second overall in Indy 500 history to reigning champion Penske\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a photo shoot\/media day with the pit crew, and we were probably not nervous, but it\u2019s like, OK, who\u2019s going to want to do that?\u201d said Jill Gregory, president of Andretti Global. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t keep these guys off camera: They are like, \u2018Finally, someone\u2019s paying attention to us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Even before or after the race, fans get a chance to test their reflexes with a tire-changing game that measures their reaction time and offers discounts to those who sign up.<\/p>\n \u201cIt comes down to the nature of the partnership. It was very natural for the three parties, and this is where the magic happens,\u201d said Samuel Morisse, vp of Allegra Brand North America. \u201cWe want to make sure people connect that the brand is supporting the notion of performance. It\u2019s about the natural connection between the Andretti team and what they do, and the brand into what it allows them to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Gregory noted that Andretti brings its own brand equity into any partnership. The family is synonymous with racing in the United States and has been name-dropped<\/a> in hip-hop lyrics<\/a> for generations<\/a>. When it partners with a brand, even to bring new, younger fans into racing, it\u2019s looking for a sponsor that complements the legacy.<\/p>\n Andretti has paired financial firm Gainbridge with its driver Colton Herta for several years now. For Kyle Kirkwood, they\u2019re putting electronics giant Siemens on his car for this year\u2019s Indy 500. While there are tire makers and tech companies that are more endemic racing sponsors, Gregory said not all of them immediately spring to mind in May when the flora is in full bloom.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m actually an Allegra user. If you can hear, I\u2019ve got a little scratchy throat today, and that\u2019s not just because we\u2019re meeting today. I was already a user, but I thought, \u2018Why can\u2019t we bring an allergy brand like Allegra into it?\u2019\u201d Gregory said.\u00a0\u201cWhen we really looked at our portfolio, we looked at Marcus, and he is very focused on mental clarity, preparation, and attention to detail. To me, those were all things that made sense for the Allegra brand.\u201d<\/p>\n Allegra\u2019s Morisse, meanwhile, said that the brand had only inched into racing in previous years through a partnership with Kroger in NASCAR. In his seventh IndyCar season and second with Andretti, Ericsson and his team presented a unique opportunity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ericsson has led 43 laps in his Indianapolis 500 career and was a lap away from his second-consecutive win in 2023 when current champ Josef Newgarden took the lead with half a lap to go and started his bid for three Indy 500 wins in a row. Having won the race before and having come so close to winning it again, he\u2019s aware of how much better the milk<\/a> tastes from the top spot on the podium and how much more fun the porch parties <\/a>can be after a victory lap.<\/p>\n Allegra tied its marketing story with Andretti and Ericsson together with allergies, but it\u2019s a winner\u2019s clarity that\u2019s getting them across the line together.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes a big difference being a winner, for sure. My schedule for the month is pretty packed. Every day, it\u2019s a lot of things going on, and I enjoy that because I want to be an ambassador for this amazing race,\u201d Ericsson said. \u201cBut of course it\u2019s a balance as well, because I want to win another 500, but that\u2019s where you know you need to be good at putting that aside and being focused.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Andretti](\"https:\/\/static-www.adweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/indianapolis-500-allegra-pit-crew.png?w=1024\")
On the right track<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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