Personalizing Pharma: Overcoming Challenges to Drive Digital Customer Engagement

Rob Verheul, CEO, Graphite Digital

In an era where personalization of marketing and comms has become the norm in consumer engagement, the pharmaceutical industry is feeling the pressure to deliver for its customers, but it’s proving tough for many.

Digital pharma leaders acknowledge that personalized digital interactions and content are critical for engaging healthcare professionals (HCPs), who are often strapped for time and inundated with information. Those customers want to receive relevant communications, yet many pharma companies are still struggling to deliver.

Our latest research report, ‘Disconnected Pharma’ — based on interviews with 100 senior decision-makers at leading pharma organizations — highlights significant gaps in the sector's journey towards effective digital personalization. Here, we explore the importance of personalization of digital engagement in pharma, the structural and technological barriers to its implementation, and the collaborative efforts needed to drive innovation and disruption in this space.

The importance of personalization in pharma

Healthcare professionals are inundated with vast amounts of information daily. In this context, delivering relevant and personalized content is not just beneficial but essential. Personalization can significantly enhance HCPs' engagement with digital products by ensuring that the content they receive is pertinent to their specific needs and interests. This targeted approach will save HCPs time and demonstrate empathy and understanding for their day-to-day reality — allowing them to focus more on patient care and less on sifting through irrelevant information.

Personalization in pharma goes beyond just tailoring content; it involves understanding the unique preferences and behaviors of each HCP. By leveraging data analytics, pharmaceutical companies can create detailed profiles of their audience, enabling them to deliver more meaningful and impactful interactions. However, achieving this level of personalization requires overcoming several significant hurdles.

Getting houses in order: The challenge of legacy systems

A major impediment to digital transformation in the pharma sector is the reliance on outdated legacy platforms. Approximately 35% of pharma leaders report that these platforms hinder their progress towards adopting new digital technologies and strategies. These legacy systems often lack the flexibility and scalability needed to support advanced data processing and personalization efforts.

To address this issue, many pharmaceutical companies are prioritizing the creation of internal digital tools and systems in 2024. In fact, 40% of industry leaders are focusing on developing robust data processing and quality management systems. These new systems aim to provide a solid foundation for the complex data handling required for personalization, enabling more efficient and effective digital engagement.

Structural issues and regulatory concerns

Beyond technological challenges, structural issues within pharmaceutical organizations also pose significant barriers to personalization. It is widely regarded that pharma companies have operated with siloed mindsets, where different departments work in isolation rather than collaboratively. This fragmentation can prevent the seamless sharing of engagement data and insights on customer needs and preferences.

The industry is also heavily regulated, with stringent guidelines around data security and privacy. While 37% of pharma leaders believe that ensuring robust data security and privacy measures is crucial for driving digital disruption, the risk aversion associated with these regulations often makes it challenging to explore and implement innovative personalization strategies.

To overcome these barriers, pharma companies must work towards breaking down internal silos and fostering a culture of collaboration. This cultural shift can facilitate better data sharing and integration, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of HCPs' preferences and behaviors. Additionally, embracing regulatory compliance as an enabler rather than a hindrance can help companies navigate the complexities of personalization in a secure and compliant manner.

The value of collaboration and cross-sector learning

Greater collaboration across the pharma and healthcare sector —and potentially with other sectors—could be a game-changer for driving innovation and disruption in digital personalization. Pharma leaders recognize the need for increased knowledge sharing and collaborative efforts to overcome the challenges they face. By learning from other sectors that have successfully implemented personalization strategies, the pharma industry can gain valuable insights and best practices.

An often-cited example of personalization done right is Netflix, who revolutionized the entertainment industry with its highly personalized user experience, which is tailored to individual viewer preferences and behaviors. Key aspects of their personalization strategy included personalized user interfaces, content curation, advanced recommendations algorithms, and interactive content. These are all things that could be replicated across pharma digital experiences with the right data, insight and design approaches.

Fostering collaboration and sector-wide learning requires deliberate effort and the creation of platforms and forums for sharing knowledge and experiences. Industry conferences, cross-sector partnerships, and collaborative research initiatives can provide opportunities for pharma companies to learn from each other and from other industries.

Final thoughts

The push for personalization in the pharma industry is both a necessary evolution and a complex challenge. As HCPs continue to face time constraints and information overload, delivering relevant and personalized content becomes increasingly critical. However, the path to achieving this is fraught with technological, structural, and regulatory obstacles.

Action and investment are required. Brands within pharmaceutical companies need to collaborate to meet the needs of their connected customers. A more customer centric mindset is required, which will be difficult for the pharmaceutical industry - which is heavily geared around the product development cycle.

Organizations must prioritize the development of modern digital tools solutions, break down internal silos, and foster a culture of collaboration to overcome these barriers. By doing so, they can harness the power of data analytics and personalization to enhance HCP engagement and drive digital innovation.

Ultimately, the future success of digital pharma lies in its ability to adapt and evolve. With nearly half (49%) of industry leaders acknowledging the need to better utilize data for personalization, there is a clear recognition of the value and potential of these efforts. By addressing the challenges head-on, the industry can unlock new opportunities for growth and improved HCP experiences and patient outcomes through personalized digital engagement.

Rob Verheul, CEO, Graphite Digital