Digital Pharma East 2023: Panel Day 2

If the first day of panels at Digital Pharma East took on the lofty topics of innovation and the power of collaboration, the second was an iteration on those themes as attendees filtered through various conferences tracks and topics ranging from AI to omnichannel and the changing face of media for health.

Innovation is often the response to disruption, and disruption was at the heart of many conversations both in content sessions and networking moments throughout the conference’s expo space.

“Each year, PHM creates something we call The Disruptors – a list of trends and events we believe will disrupt our business,” said PHM President Andrea Palmer . “This is more than an end of year prediction list. It’s a roadmap that informs the development of proprietary products and tools that are made available to our clients.”

Palmer gave attendees a sneak peak of PHM’s annual Disruptors Wednesday afternoon and then led a panel of pharma, media and content experts in a discussion about how some of these disruptive forces create opportunities for pharma to connect with consumers in new and exciting ways, often by breaking out of traditional marketing plans and expectations. “Habits have changed and have been changing for a decade plus,” said Jeff Fischer PHM EVP and Head of Content. “There’s never been a better time to be a brand or a creator.”?

There are more opportunities to engage with creative content today than ever before. The shift away from linear TV has opened avenues for partnerships that promise to not just reach consumers but engage them in meaningful ways. Social media users may spend only a few seconds with an ad, “but 93 percent listen to (roughly) half of a 30-minute podcast episode,” noted Ethan Fixell , VP, Branded Audio at Ruby, iHeartMedia’s Branded Audio Studio. “Video did not kill the radio star and digital is not killing linear TV,” said Jackie Bodner , Senior Director of Client Partnerships at Paramount Advertising. “Linear is still here and thriving, but digital is a great complement, it all works in synchronicity.”

While pharma may be slow to embrace some new marketing methods, it is beginning to break out of its more traditional confines. Organizations can be siloed, a point made by nearly every panelist or speaker at the conference, but those doing the work of breaking down those silos stand to reap rewards. “The industry is capable, and we have some really smart people,” noted Khalil Sayed , Senior Director, Head of Global Media and Americas Marketing Procurement at GSK. “Good ideas take a little bit of extra effort, planning and forethought. I love disruption, I don’t lose much sleep over it. That’s when an organization gets to do new things.”

AI continued to be a big topic at Digital Pharma East, as it will most certainly be in pharma for the foreseeable future. As PHM president Andrea Palmer noted the day before, “These are massive seismic shifts that are changing the ways people are getting information, not just in health, but in everything.” These thoughts were amplified at nearly every panel on Wednesday.?

Embracing new marketing methods doesn’t mean abandoning the tried and true, although it may mean looking at established practices through a fresh lens. Data-driven marketing isn’t going anywhere, but it’s role and how it informs health marketing can be reframed to better serve patients and physicians. “Let’s look at this as a customer service platform,” said Ray Rosti PHM’s Chief Digital Officer. “The user expects a seamless experience, regardless of where they interact with the brand. Brands are asking if [something] is an ROI driver, but it’s customer service.”

Data measurement is evolving, as well, noted PHM SVP of Business Intelligence, Kate Gattuso Duffy, MBA speaking on a panel titled “Applying the Precision of Digital Marketing to the Reach of Addressable TV Advertising.” The industry is moving from measuring offline data a few times a year to being able to measure more regularly. This is helping better target patient segments and apply them at a household level.

Omnichannel is on everyone’s minds and a big topic at Digital Pharma East. “We have to get to the point where we can recognize customers (patients and HCPs) in the same way other consumer products companies and services do, emphasized Christopher Nugent, Director, Global Commercial Innovation and Alliance Management, Sumitomo Pharma America. “We can’t just be pushing out information, physicians are tired of being spoken at, they want to be spoken with,” agreed Siva Tallavajhala, RPh, MBA , Director, Omnichannel Marketing, Menarini Stemline. “Change management is not easy, but this is the paradigm shift of what pharma needs to embrace.”

Digital Pharma East runs through September 14 in Philadelphia.

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