Asentech Embeds Digital Strategy and Execution Specialists to Drive Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) Engagement in Top European Markets

Our client, a global pharmaceutical manufacturer, desired to improve digital communication with Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) in Europe. Facing historical resistance to digital channels within their marketing teams, the client engaged Asentech to lead a comprehensive digital transformation initiative. The value delivered lies not just in the execution of projects but in the strategic elevation of the entire marketing ecosystem.

Within the European pharmaceutical landscape, traditional face-to-face interactions between sales representatives and HCPs have long served as the primary channel for brand communication. Our client, a global pharmaceutical company, aimed to enhance the utilization of digital channels to reach HCPs and complement the efforts of field representatives.

Brand marketers in Europe had historically exhibited reluctance to embrace digital channels, which was evident in the skill gaps within their teams. To address this, the Global Digital Marketing Head engaged Asentech to lead a digital transformation and acceleration journey in European markets.

Asentech initiated a comprehensive change management process throughout the organization, conducting workshops in key European markets to foster alignment and secure brand buy-in. To bridge the skill gaps within our client's marketing teams, we strategically deployed local digital specialists in key markets. This strategic move led to the successful planning and execution of over 200 digital projects, resulting in increased brand awareness, direct financial impact, and a more digitally proficient organization.

Our client recognized the rapidly growing importance of deploying digital communication strategies and tactics to reach HCPs in Europe. They aimed to establish an omnichannel contact strategy to complement the efforts of field representatives. However, a significant challenge in these markets was that marketers were hesitant to incorporate a wider use of digital channels into their annual plans. This hesitancy over time resulted in a digital skills gap within the marketing teams, rendering them ill-equipped to execute a strategy that focused on leveraging digital channels.

Our initial approach involved delivering assessment studies with the aim of gaining insights into the systems, capabilities, and digital marketing maturity within the top five priority markets in EU.

We conducted multi-day workshops, involving top brands in each of these markets, to establish common goals and identify operational, technological, and alignment gaps related to the new digital strategy. We also provided our clients with extensive competitive intelligence, helping them understand how their competitors were incorporating digital into their brand planning. Armed with a clear understanding of their gaps and how competitors leveraged digital capabilities, we collaboratively built a 30-60-90-day plan with the marketing team, to engage and systematically modify their go-to-market strategy.

A key reason for the success of this initiative was addressing skill gaps within the client teams. Our approach was to assign five country-level digital marketing specialists to their key markets: the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland. These specialists worked closely with brand teams and Centers of Excellence (COE) to develop content, assist with technology enablement, manage translation requirements, facilitate the medical-legal-regulatory (MLR) approval process, and much more. This involvement spanned from the start of the project with drafting project briefs to the actual in-market deployment of digital projects and post-campaign optimization.