• Generate more content with fewer resources
• Release content faster to local markets
• Simplify approval and localisation procedures
• Achieve consistency across channels and markets
• Enable the content volume required by more personalised omnichannel marketing engagements
The traditional content supply chain was born in a ‘paper world’ rather than the digital one in which we now live. In other words, it was designed for a relatively small amount of content for a few channels. Yet, while digital communication technologies have transformed pharma marketing, the system that supports it is mostly unchanged.
This traditional supply chain is now struggling to cope with the content production and approval requirements for an ever-increasing number of channels: eDetailing presentations for multiple indications, self-service detailing websites, approved email, remote engagement tools, and webinar materials. The content supply chain is already slow, inefficient, ineffective and expensive. It will only worsen as companies switch to omnichannel marketing, which delivers personalised content to HCPs and patients.
There is a human impact too. Legacy content systems are increasingly frustrating for everyone involved. Colleagues in MLR are struggling to review and approve ever-increasing numbers of assets. Affiliates face rising localisation demands. And brand teams are frustrated that things move so slowly.
The problem does not lie with any one department or function. It is systemic. Pharma’s content supply chain simply was not built for the digital world. And therefore just increasing content production budgets — spending more to produce more — won’t solve the problem. What’s needed is a supply chain that is designed for digital content.
Learn how to unlock content supply chain efficiency, reduce content costs, and speed time-to-market
Content excellence means optimising your content supply chain for the digital world. It speeds up the whole process by making each phase — content creation, approval, production, and distribution — more efficient. This requires a clear strategy and detailed implementation plan, which we develop through a 4-step process:
Review: a situational analysis to understand how you work with content and how your content supply chains fit together. This process uncovers the pain points and bottlenecks that need to be fixed. In effect, stage one of the content excellence process provides the rationale for change — and the means to get buy-in from internal stakeholders.
Design: a plan that details your content excellence strategy. This phase describes how you will build assets in the future, describing your content creation vision and how this will be realised — your implementation roadmap. Together, the vision and roadmap provide your business case for change.
Implementation: your content production model and organisational setup. This phase details the implications for your people, processes and partnerships. The result is an implementation plan that describes the required organisational setup, people’s roles and responsibilities, and the required resources to make the change.
Technology: your requirements for technology platforms, systems and tools. This phase analyses your current technologies and their application to your content excellence strategy. It details how current tools and systems can be optimised and identifies opportunities for new solutions to be deployed to bring efficiency to your supply chain.
These four steps result in a content excellence strategy and an implementation plan that meet your organisation's specific needs — resulting in content that is cheaper, faster, and easier to produce. And it takes the stresses and burdens off internal stakeholders throughout the organisation — from MLR to affiliate localisation.
The updated procedures and systems that content excellence puts in place make better use of new technologies. One option is to enhance your existing systems. For example, many pharma companies have invested in Veeva Vault. This can be configured to meet your company's specific content management practices and workflows. Yet this rarely happens. A content excellence programme, therefore, can unlock Veeva's potential to meet your precise requirements.
Another option is to boost your digital asset management (DAM) system with a content authoring solution that’s designed for pharma’s regulated business environment. For example, Anthill’s own Activator product integrates seamlessly with Veeva Vault — enabling a better user experience. As a result, content creation, management, MLR reviews and localisation are all made easier for brand teams and their agencies.
A content excellence program also enables you to make use of modular content. This has a significant impact — providing benefits throughout the content supply chain because it meets pharma's specific needs. Modular content means pre-approved blocks of content — 'modules' — that contain everything needed to tell a complete mini-story, e.g. product claims, references, copy, graphics, and logos. Consequently, modules can be combined to create marketing assets quickly. For example, you can use the same module in approved email, eDetailing, social media, remote detailing and self-service systems.
The result is faster asset creation because production is more efficient. That benefits global brand teams, affiliates and agencies. And for colleagues in MLR, modular content simplifies content reviews and avoids unnecessary duplication of work. Instead of approving each asset (with roughly the same content), they can approve modules once, which are used multiple times.
Learn how a leading pharma company transformed their content supply chain and omnichannel marketing capabilities.
The latest innovation pioneered by Anthill is to combine modular content with AI. This approach makes modular content even more accessible — enabling workflows that use natural, everyday language. You simply request the content you need: “I want to create an email including at least two patient profiles. Add a section about our upcoming congress.”
The AI identifies the available content modules, confirms them with you, and automatically applies them to a template — producing results you can see immediately. And you can then instruct the AI to recreate that content, issuing instructions such as “change the template” or “add another patient profile”.
AI-enabled modular content assembly also opens new opportunities, such as generating content that leverages your segmentation and marketing performance data. For example, you can instruct the AI to develop versions that match specific patient profiles. Or ask the AI to rank options according to the likelihood that they will resonate with your specific audiences.
Importantly, the AI is only assembling pre-approved modular content. That ensures that your tactics are compliant because the AI is inventing nothing. For companies looking to implement AI in their healthcare marketing, combining it intelligently with modular content is a compelling option.
Learn how Novo Nordisk partnered with Anthill to implement modular content and speed omnichannel content creation.
Make content production easier, faster and much cheaper. And simplify the process for all internal stakeholders. Anthill can partner with you throughout the content excellence process — providing the project management expertise, technical smarts and creative know-how that ensure a smooth process.
Everything you need to get started: analysis of your current content production chain, development of your content vision and roadmap, an implementation plan and technology recommendations.
Optimising and updating your technology systems and tools. Depending on your needs and existing investments, this could include applying tools such as Anthill Activator to your Veeva Vault.
Developing and implementing a modular content system that simplifies MLR approvals and makes content cheaper and faster to produce.
Content production involves many different stakeholders across your organization. That’s why we take account of the human factor and engage people early to build awareness and support.
Our content excellence consultancy enables you meet the realities of digital marketing by rethinking the traditional supply chain — replacing legacy systems with a scalable solution that meets your pressing needs today and in the future. Where do you need to start?
Identify what’s slowing content production in my organisation
Build consensus on the need for more efficient content production
Provide my content excellence strategy and implementation plan
Assess my ‘technology stack’ and recommend how it can be optimised
Implement a modular content approach to make my content more cost-effective
Run a content excellence pilot programme to demonstrate effectiveness
Fix your content supply chain and provide the personalised experiences that HCPs prize.
