How pharma marketing is evolving in the ‘new normal’ – Takeda and Novartis marketers join Digital Acceleration Roundtable

Digital & Innovation: The state of pharma’s digital innovation and deep transformation in customer engagement has evolved significantly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mahesh Malalage, Marketing Lead: IBD at Takeda and Paul White, Marketer at Novartis joined Health Industry Hub Founder Rozalina Sarkezians and co-host Peter Stephenson from West 53rd St Digital to discuss navigating the fast-changing digital landscape as marketers adapt customer engagement in the ‘new normal’.

The panellists explored new organisational behaviours adapted by marketing teams in response to COVID-19 and the role of agility and speed in realising new digital customer engagement opportunities.

Mahesh and Paul shared their insights on the biggest challenges facing marketers in strategic planning for customer engagement, the evolution of digital in supporting the field force and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in delivering new insights and competitive advantages.

“Stay curious about what customers are doing with their work, their patients and how they use our medicines. We need to walk in their shoes,” said Mahesh.

“It’s also not about a digital or analogue conversation. It’s about integrating these into something meaningful and relevant for each customer” he added.

Paul noted “Go back to your patient and clinician journey and deconstruct it. Don’t assume what you knew you still know. It has changed. Focus on the problem you’re trying to solve in this new ecosystem.”