It’s an exciting time for emerging biopharmaceuticals (EBPs). From 2011 to 2022, 275 EBP assets were brought to market. More than half (65%) launched on their own, and a select few emerged as top sellers. Despite that momentum, EBPs continue to face challenges in optimizing launches and driving promotional effectiveness.

At IQVIA, we apply our Agile Brand Promotion framework to help EBPs tackle these challenges and build the commercial and go-to-market models. The framework covers six core components that we believe are critical to effective customer engagement:

1. Comprehensive and connected customer data
2. Diverse, differentiated, and fit-for-purpose field roles
3. Omnichannel engagement
4. Local adaptation
5. Hyper-personalized experiences
6. Advanced analytical decision making

In the context of launch excellence, one of the most consistently asked questions is, “For an EBP, is ‘digital only’ the best way to launch?” There’s no denying that it’s harder than ever to get face time with many healthcare providers (HCPs). It can be especially difficult for newer players. Does that mean you should forego personal promotion in favor of all digital, all the time? Not so fast. Very few, if any, “digital” launches were successful; fewer still were “digital only.”

While the precise mix will vary by therapeutic area and product archetype, most EBPs will benefit from a greater focus on omnichannel engagement. With this approach, you may leverage digital channels for more digitally savvy HCPs who prefer that mode of engagement. For others, you may use lower-cost personal channels, such as an Inside Sales team, to help address customers’ needs and support more effective engagement with reps at the appropriate time. Regardless, you will tailor the personal and non-personal mix to align to the specific needs of the customer, rather than applying a one-size fits all, “digital only” approach.

The key is achieving transparency and coordination across Sales and Marketing. So, rather than trying to stand up a whole collection of resources and new channels, be deliberate about which channels you start with, and expect to make additions and adjustments as you go. Focus your investments around a robust understanding of the customer journey, prioritizing the moments that matter. And don’t be afraid to tap the brakes on channels that aren’t performing well or to redeploy those dollars into channels that are delivering results. With an analytical engine that provides insights into promotion response by cohort, you can better ensure your asset gets up the launch curve quickly and hits forecast.

This is where adopting Agile Brand Promotion can be a huge advantage. This framework requires a strong foundation of customer data about the HCPs you’re trying to reach, their behaviors, and their needs. With this data, you can gain valuable insights about customer journeys:

• What options are HCPs evaluating?
• Where are they seeking information?
• Who are they listening to along the way?
• What’s driving treatment decision-making?

Use these insights to optimize your commercial model and do more with the limited resources you have. Doing so doesn’t require a complex and costly platform. Get started with something simple that supports your current state. Just make sure it can scale over time as you grow your business with additional products and indications, which likely will require more data sources and commercial infrastructure.

Agile Brand Promotion in practice

Agile Brand Promotion will look different for every EBP, but here are some of the most intriguing ways you can bring this framework to life:

• Trigger-based engagement. Imagine being able to get the right message to the right HCP at the right time. For some, it could be when they’re searching a topic for a disease state; for others, it might be when they’re evaluating a competitive product online. Figuring out how to communicate a message (digital vs. face-to-face) is just the first step. Knowing when and where to reach out can help maximize impact. And it is important to offer all your customers the flexibility to engage on their terms – in other words, using more of a pull model rather than just pushing messages out.
• Local thought leader networks. Don’t underestimate the value of opinion leaders “hidden” within local networks. IQVIA research shows that when a respected advisor adopts a treatment protocol, the rest of their network adopts that treatment at a rate 25% higher than networks where thought leaders do not. It takes a data-intensive, bottoms-up approach to reveal – and effectively engage – those local thought leaders.
• White-glove patient support. Especially for rare and specialty disease areas, devoting resources to patient support can deliver significant ROI. Providing reimbursement specialists and/or patient navigators can help overcome payer and other hurdles to treatment. Keeping patients engaged can also help drive physician demand over time.
• Analytical engine. Imagine connecting personal and non-personal engagement holistically so you can measure promotion effectiveness at the HCP level in weeks rather than months. For EBPs, this will prove to be the differentiated capability to support launch success. It’s critical to confident decision-making about pivoting channel investments and targets as adoption is realized.

In many ways, EBPs have an edge when it comes to adopting Agile Brand Promotion. You’re starting fresh rather than facing the need to unravel longstanding organizational complexity or ingrained ways of working. Yet these advantages aren’t automatic, as it’s all too easy for the cultural dynamics of Big Pharma to creep into an EBP organization.

From the beginning, be intentional about doing things differently. If you create the right foundation, hyper-personalized and highly effective engagement will set a new standard for “business as usual.”