In 1999, I joined the pharmaceutical industry as a sales rep, captivated by the vibrancy and strategic mastery of the marketing department.

It was a beacon of aspiration, embodying the pinnacle of strategic thinking and marketing excellence.

Fast-forward to today, and I find myself questioning the very essence of these marketing departments.

Over the past 25 years, the landscape has drastically shifted. Compliance and ABPI regulations have tightened, arguably constraining marketing creativity. Market access teams have emerged, taking the reins on launch and go-to-market planning.

Amid these changes, strategic marketing seems to have vanished, overshadowed by the latest digital infatuations – VR headsets, apps, the metaverse, omnichannel and AI. 

Let’s be honest – none of these shiny new toys drive revenue like the deep customer insights and robust strategies of yesteryear.

In a shocking revelation by the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 2023, only 28% of marketers were reported as trained or qualified, a stark contrast to the rigorous training I received back in 2002 – a mandatory rite of passage for all aspiring marketers.

Imagine, for a moment, crossing from pharma to the NHS and declaring yourself a medic or surgeon without any training. You’d be deemed absurd. Yet, somehow, we’ve normalised this transition for those managing significant marketing functions without proper training.

Marketing is a broad discipline – it only succeeds when there is an equal focus on insight generation, market analysis, strategic planning and tactical action plans.

Currently, we see a ‘spray and pray’ approach to tactics, and a reactive stance to competitor activities with the mindset, ‘if they are doing that, then we will do that and even bigger’. What happened to innovation born from deep customer insights?

Furthermore, what we often see is merely promotion – it’s only 8% of what marketing should encompass!

The prevalent, albeit clumsy, marketing practices of the past have led to stringent compliance barriers around the marketing function, creating a culture of lazy and ineffective marketing that seldom drives significant revenue.

Some of the most impactful brands I have worked on, both in-house and as a consultant, were those where we had little budget and had to think differently.

We didn’t come to market with fancy gimmicks – we took the time to listen to our customers, understand their deep emotional needs and worked hard to meet them, creating compelling narratives that build trust and loyalty.

It isn’t rocket science to connect with customers. We need to stop obsessing over the latest trends that your agencies are selling you to ‘stand out’ – trust me, you are standing out for all the wrong reasons!

Lean into your customers and understand they are currently in crisis – how can you help them, invest in them and become a true partner to them?

Having a competitor war about who has the fanciest AI-built tool won’t achieve that –and this is why marketing now has such a bad reputation.

This devaluation of marketing has profound implications.

We now face the belief that marketing is the ‘colouring-in department,’ and all the grown-up work is done by market access or the medics – after all, we can’t sell to our customers, we must just educate them. But aren’t they educated already after years in medical school?

We are overlooking a fundamental aspect of human behaviour: people, physicians included, are influenced by marketing daily, and their decisions are not immune to such influences.

The industry’s shift from strategic marketing to a heavier reliance on medical affairs has created a chasm.

Medicines that could change lives are potentially failing to reach those in need because they are not backed by powerful, strategic marketing narratives that resonate with healthcare professionals.

Having spent the last seven years navigating the terrain between life sciences, tech and SaaS marketing, I’ve observed some stark differences.

SaaS companies excel with precise marketing strategies focusing on Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), which maximise impact and efficiency.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) in these sectors involves a deep, data-driven understanding of key accounts, ensuring marketing efforts are both strategic and personalised.

To revitalise pharma marketing, we must adopt similar principles and cultivate new strategic marketing methods that reach customers and patients effectively. It’s crucial to develop go-to-market strategies that transcend mere education and evidence dissemination.

The transformation requires a cultural shift within companies to value and understand the power of strategic marketing as much as medical insight.

Marketing needs to be seen not as an adjunct to science but as a pivotal component of healthcare engagement.

We must develop marketers who are not only technically proficient but are also strategic thinkers capable of moving beyond compliance-focused tactics to strategies that drive real change.

We face a dire need for an industry-wide wake-up call. It’s time for pharma to reforge its commitment to strategic marketing, ensuring it occupies a central, impactful role in how healthcare solutions are communicated and perceived.

By doing so, we can ensure that transformative medicines reach and impact the lives of those who need them most.

Emma Clayton is VP of Marketing Brilliance / Fractional CMO at Be Brilliant Consultancy