Insights: Embracing digitalisation in pharma sector

Thinking of marketing initiatives without digital in the mix, now seems almost impossible for any sector that had not been digital savvy, and that’s unequivocally true for the pharma industry.

Digital tools and technologies are fast making inroads into pharma marketing plans as the space has opened itself to the new ‘hybrid’ normal where face-to-face interactions with healthcare professionals (HCPs) are now duly aligned with and supported by digital marketing efforts.

For a space that is trying to match steps with new digital advancements, it is essential for life science marketers to keep a tab on pharma marketing innovations. It will ensure they are up-to-date with technologies to target HCPs effectively and precisely within the regulatory guidelines and under the ambit of transparency.

In the GCC region, pharma companies have begun actively investing in the space and marketers are looking for innovative digital avenues and technologies that make them engage physicians at multiple touchpoints, going beyond just emails and SMSes.

Physicians in the region keep moving between Europe, the US and GCC and that somehow created the biggest challenge in reaching out to them. Programmatic technology powered by artificial intelligence (AI) has been able to significantly bridge the gap by making their identification possible.

The rise in programmatic technologies

Automation can transform digital marketing and it was proven so by consumer companies that were quick to try it out for the sake of improving outcomes. After having witnessing its tremendous potential and the astounding results afterwards, programmatic became a permanent strategy for consumer brands to reach their target audience.

While pharma had been historically slow in digital adoption compared to its consumer counterparts, times are now changing. Pharma brands are buying into new ideas and concepts and are willing to invest in promising technologies, including programmatic.

The automatic buying and selling of ad spaces using technology is referred to as programmatic advertising. Its efficiency lies in minimising manual efforts greatly to display brand ads through automated technology across digital channels within a matter seconds, optimising not just campaigns in real time but also return on investment.

For pharma brands that are looking to reach HCPs as they navigate through digital platforms – while checking out medical or specialty-related content on medical journals, discussing case studies on a peer-to-peer platform or while scrolling through a medical newsletter – programmatic is turning out to be the most efficient and economical tool to share relevant information with physicians.

It is also a win-win for digital platforms as they can engage HCPs on their site much productively due to the availability of relevant information that physicians are constantly looking for to be able to deliver improved care to their patients.

The power of AI

That programmatic technologies are backed by AI make them indisputable in achieving scale with enormous power to reach a right physician, at the right moment and on the right channel.

Rising number of digital platforms being visited by physicians have led to huge acquisition of data points. This presents marketers with the opportunity to tap into the vast pool of data and integrate analytics powered by AI to improve physician campaigns.

The insights gathered from the analytics can help marketers understand the digital behaviour of physicians and where and how they engage with a brand message. The comprehension of HCPs’ digital and behavioural footprint, besides the understanding of their digital journey, helps garner significant results for brands and establish meaningful real-time communications with them.

Also, marketers get well equipped based on valuable insights to serve personalised messages to HCPs with which they instantly connect to, and could use the same to make informed decisions. It empowers them to serve their patients with higher degree of confidence and improve their health outcomes.

In the GCC region, marketers are waking up to the need to work with advanced and innovative technologies that could help sharpen their marketing efforts. Programmatic tools and platforms that are backed by AI are surely a step for pharma brand marketers in the right direction.

Bhavik Gosalia is the AVP – Sales and Partnerships – MEA at Doceree

Also read: Towards pharma 4.0 – how digital transformation can optimise operations