Unlock Global AdProm Potential With Software-as-a-Service

As a consultant in the life sciences industry for over 10 years, one of the most striking developments in content management has been the shift from “wouldn’t it be great if we could do this globally” to “we need to do this globally.” In particular, managing advertising and promotional content has become a major pain point. While opportunities in emerging markets like China and Brazil are exploding, life sciences companies are often struggling to keep up. Why?

1. Regulatory compliance. Different countries have different regulatory requirements, impacting not only the content created but also the context and target audience. Not knowing which promotional assets can be used in which country for what audience is a core regulatory risk, one that increases when emerging markets, with their own sets of regulations, are added to the mix. Further, because of the different regulatory requirements, different workflow participants and activities must also be managed, leading to a high degree of variability that is difficult to manage manually, or even through disparate systems at the local level.

2. Asset management. Partners and ad agencies need to access promotional materials in order to collaborate on and tailor them to their markets. They require an effective way to stay on top of versions and translations, which is often made difficult by disjointed systems and security measures.

3. Adaptability. As advertising becomes more data-driven, companies need to be able to adapt rapidly based on new information, such as the response rate from an email or new data from the sales field. Furthermore, regulatory agencies are often playing catch-up when it comes to compliance around new media. Companies need the flexibility to rethink their strategies and executions based on these changes.

4. Life cycle management. Commonly, a drug is approved for marketing in one country, but still in regulatory approval in another. Managing properties such as trade name, generic name, and country name at these different stages can get tangled, impacting a definition of a branded piece of content as well as what claims you can make.

Life sciences companies need the right tools to effectively manage their promotional materials at a global level. The ability to quickly share and repurpose assets globally between local agencies and offices is a tremendous advantage to companies who are either established globally or looking to expand. In addition, companies need to confidently and holistically manage global processes such as Medical, Legal and Regulatory review, both at the corporate and local levels. All this needs to be done faster and more accurately to keep up with evolving strategies and regulations.

Fortunately, a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service)-based content management system can address these needs. Because SaaS-based solutions are accessible from anywhere in the world without the hassle of VPNs, external team members can be brought on board quickly. Working in single solution means users will be able to collaborate on pieces and tailor them to a certain market. In addition, teams can carry out MLR with both local and global teams and ensure they have the correct versions, thereby staying on top of regulatory requirements.

If something needs to change, whether it’s a new workflow to match a revised strategy, or updated regulatory requirements, SaaS customers can quickly adapt. Updates happen seamlessly, behind the scenes, and new attributes can be configured via an admin panel in minutes. In addition, because SaaS is scalable, additional users can be added if local offices grow or new offices are added, with no additional strain on IT.

Global promotional materials management is a challenge for any company, but armed with a SaaS solution, they can better prepare for and deliver a successful campaign.

Damian Kelly is Principal Consultant for Veeva Vault.