Bayer AG: Harmonizing Data
for Impactful Campaigns

Fragmented data is the biggest obstacle to scaling biopharma analytics. While the problem is widely recognized, solving it can seem daunting. However, the cost of maintaining siloed operations that eventually lead to poor data quality far exceeds the cost of addressing it.

Bayer AG faced the need to address data connectivity across the countries in which it operates. Over 150 years of growth produced a myriad of data models, local data sources, custom integrations, and other data challenges. For instance, one team recently discovered that 40% of its target customers were missing, 60% of campaign data was lost, and the system did not pick the right brand name, resulting in no next-best-action recommendations generated. The lack of insight hampered campaign optimization and customer engagement.

Neha Bajaj, global data governance lead at Bayer AG, shares their journey moving to unified product and customer master data with Veeva Network across 40+ markets, which helps them support marketing and brand teams to deliver more impactful campaigns.

Missed data, missed opportunities

“Our campaign reach was limited. We were missing key customers. Incomplete data on reach, open rates, engagement, and preferences made it hard to evaluate performance and plan next steps,” Bajaj elaborates on the gaps fragmented data was causing.

She explains that manual product data management in five different systems across multiple markets led to inconsistencies and human error — a spelling mistake, an extra space, or a missed comma could result in data loss. These errors and data mismatches often went unnoticed until campaigns failed or critical reports were incomplete.

“Once, it took us six months to process a single product name change,” recalls Bajaj, highlighting the complexity of their previous processes that resulted in weekly escalations, frustrated users, and a critical need for change.

Bayer AG needed a unified and governed data management solution to improve efficiency and support its teams.

Selecting a scalable solution

Bayer AG had two options: keep the status quo of firefighting issues to avoid process disruption or create a custom interface in its existing master data management (MDM) solution used to master product data.

The constant escalations of data mismatches and campaign failures made continued firefighting unsustainable, ruling out the first option. The second option required complex logic and dependence on operations teams to pull through global data to local teams with variations on their brands. This approach also lacked the agility Bayer AG needed to adapt to market changes quickly, leading it to seek new solutions to the problems.

When Bayer AG announced its global move to Veeva OpenData and Veeva Vault CRM, the team found ways to leverage its existing customer MDM solution, Veeva Network, and its custom domains to master their product data as well.

Linking product data with a unified MDM ID

Veeva Network’s native integration with the company’s existing Veeva stack and the flexibility for local teams to access information while supporting their global data hierarchy convinced the team they made the right choice. The integration allowed Bayer AG to connect product data seamlessly with its downstream systems, like Veeva PromoMats and Veeva CRM, while simplifying global data management using a single vendor for customer and product data.

The most crucial element for Bajaj and her team was the ability to connect the dots for a product name with a unique MDM ID. She explains, “When we create a campaign for a brand, it’s linked to a unique ID that ties all related data together. This ID tracks customer preferences, ensuring that all customers tagged — regardless of local naming — are recognized globally. The data flows into our platform under this MDM ID and appears in our business intelligence (BI) dashboards.”

The process took the company about five months from the proof-of-concept to implementation across 40+ countries. Bajaj credits their success in achieving a seamless transition to a successful partnership with internal and external stakeholders and a practice of keeping users informed about progress.

Transforming data into actionable insights

Since implementing Veeva Network globally, Bajaj and her team have seen remarkable improvements. Escalations due to data mismatches, once a weekly occurrence, have been eliminated over the past 11 months. With accurate and centralized governance in managing product data, marketing campaigns can consistently reach 100% of their intended audience.

Due to the product’s connectivity and simple interface, users access and update product names and attributes in minutes without relying on the operations team. Previously, this process took several days and involved multiple teams. In addition, data updates are automatically reflected across all downstream systems, ensuring reliable and up-to-date data.

The team also refined and gained actionable insights from their BI reporting. Bajaj shares, “We now have visibility on our targeted customers, engagement metrics per region, key messages that resonated, and we are using those insights to optimize future campaigns.”

Scaling for global success

Bayer AG’s next step is to expand Veeva Network globally following its successful rollout in 40+ markets. The plan is to have one global process for all data management, harmonizing processes while giving markets flexibility.

The company’s journey showcases the transformative impact of harmonizing data. By eliminating data silos and establishing a data governance framework, companies can unlock critical insights, optimize marketing campaigns, and drive meaningful business growth. Bayer AG is poised to leverage data further to personalize customer experiences and fuel innovation.

Learn how combined global master data through Veeva OpenData and Veeva Network enabled Bayer AG to establish true customer 360 and drive efficiencies.