• by Tanya Gazdik , March 13, 2018

GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Flonase Allergy Relief spray has hired Houston Astros champion pitcher Justin Verlander as a spokesman. 

As part of the partnership, Verlander appears in a documentary series called “Greatest Season Ever” about his pre-season training routine and the impact his father has had on his career. The campaign is supported across multiple digital and social channels including MLB, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and The Weather Channel.

For Verlander, the start of baseball season also means the start to spring allergy season. In the effort from Weber Shandwick, the aim is for him to educate fellow allergy-sufferers on the importance of striking out symptoms before they hit. 

Since the Rx to OTC switch in 2015, Flonase Allergy Relief has encouraged users to be "greater than their allergies," says James Masterson, marketing director of GSK Respiratory.

"This spring, we’re extending that platform to baseball via partnerships with Justin Verlander and Major League Baseball, as the start of baseball season also marks the start of the spring allergy season," Masterson tells Marketing Daily. " As a professional baseball player and allergy sufferer, Justin embodies what it means to overcome the season’s worst allergy symptoms."

The baseball field is full of allergy triggers that Verlander has struggled with his whole life. When he starts training for his first big game of the season, he also starts training for allergy season so that he can give 100% and be greater than his symptoms.

"Like most allergy sufferers, I've tried treating my symptoms with pills, but would always find myself really congested — I always felt like I was trying to play catch-up on my allergies,” Verlander says in a release. “That's when I started using Flonase.”

The online documentary series features Verlander’s father, who instilled in him the importance of preparation for a successful athletic career, a lesson Verlander says he also applies to his struggle with allergies.

Verlander makes about $600,000 annually in endorsements from sponsors including Rawlings and Under Armour.