With the rapid advancement of technology, it is important for bio-pharmaceutical companies to adopt a multi-channel marketing approach to effectively engage with a diverse set of consumers.
Best Practices, LLC undertook benchmarking research to identify drivers of digital marketing performance excellence in the health care industry. This report provides benchmarks and insights around digital marketing structural trends, investment levels in terms of headcount and budget allocations, speed to execute key digital tactics and maturity of multi-channel functions.
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Pharma Digital Marketing Performance Excellence: Benchmarks on Core Services, Speed, Structure, Investment & Multichannel Maturity
1. Page | 1
Best Practices, LLC Strategic Benchmarking Research & Analysis
Best-in-Class Pharma Digital Marketing Performance:
Core Services, Speed, Spend & Structure
2. Page | 2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary pp. 3-11
• Research Overview p. 4
• Key Findings & Insights p. 7
Detailed Research Findings p. 12
1. Foundational Benchmarks p. 13
Digital Marketing Structure
Funding Model
2. Achieving Multichannel Excellence p. 20
Multichannel Maturity Benchmarks
Speed to Execute Key Services
Syncing Channel Service Strategy
Fostering Digital Culture across the Organization
3. Digital Investment Trends p. 36
Budget
Staffing
APPENDIX: Benchmark Class Profile p. 48
About Best Practices, LLC p. 53
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Field Research & Insight Development:
Best Practices, LLC engaged 39 digital marketing
leaders at 30 companies through a benchmarking
survey instrument.
Research participants worked in such functions as
digital, multichannel marketing, business excellence
and intelligence, marketing, and sales.
• Evaluate the structure and maturity
of multichannel functions to
identify performance weaknesses
& opportunities
• Examine the speed and integration
by which core services are
delivered
• Optimize investment into digital
marketing staffing & budget for
key activities
Research Objectives & Methodology
Research Objectives:
This benchmarking deliverable is part of a series of Best Practices’ studies designed to
examine Digital Marketing performance excellence in the healthcare industry.
This study analyzes benchmarks around:
Digital marketing structural trends
Digital marketing investment, in terms of headcount and budget allocations to key activities
Speed to execute digital tactics
Achieving multichannel maturity and platform convergence
Fostering a digital culture across the organization
Business Objective:
This research examines a host of foundational benchmarks required to achieve best-in-class
performance in digital marketing in the healthcare sector, and foster a stronger digital culture
throughout the organization.
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Data Segments:
Large Company: Annual revenue > $10 billion
(US) in 2014
Medium & Small Company: Annual revenue <$10
billion (US) in 2014
Global Teams: Any respondent company where
the digital marketing is a global responsibility
US Only: Any respondent company where the
digital marketing function is responsible for US
region.
Brand-Aligned DM Teams: Any respondent
company where digital capabilities are delivered
from the brand or business unit level, often with
some centralized support
Centralized MCM Teams: Any respondent
company where digital marketing capability resides
within a centralized multichannel marketing group or
Center of Excellence
To help distill the most precise and relevant benchmark insights, several data segments were used in this
study. Definitions of these data segments, as well as other research terms and acronyms used
throughout this research, are provided below.
Key Terms & Acronyms:
DM – digital marketing
EHR – electronic health record(s)
HCP – healthcare provider
MCM – multichannel marketing
ROI – return on investment
SEO – search engine optimization
SM – social media
Data Segmentations & Acronyms Used in this Study
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Universe of Learning: 30 Top Companies Contributed to this Research
This research engaged 39 digital marketing leaders from 30 leading pharmaceutical, biotech, and life
sciences companies. Thirteen study participants represent large pharma organizations, while the
remaining benchmark class represent medium or small companies.
Benchmark Class:
Large Companies
(Revenue > $10 Billion US in 2014)
Medium & Small Companies
(Revenue < $10 Billion US in 2014)
6. Page | 6
The following key findings and insights emerged from this study.
Digital Marketing Is Administered by Increasingly Complex Function:
Hybrid functions are most common: As the scale and complexity of biopharma digital marketing
grows, companies are using multi-tiered delivery structures to meet the needs of diverse internal
customers. Almost half (48%) of benchmark companies use a hybrid DM structure, where activities
are divided between centralized and brand teams. Fully centralized (5%) or decentralized structures
(18%) are now rare.
Brand-Aligned DM Teams Struggle to Foster an Infectious Digital Culture: Digital teams with
strong brand reporting lines are often silo-ed and are frequently unable to foster a strong digital culture
across the organization. These groups struggle especially with digitizing the value chain (only 17% report
positive performance), implementing new technologies (28%), and gathering insights (33%). Counterparts in
centralized MCM teams excel in all of these areas.
Social Media Headcount at Global Teams to Double by Next Year: On average, benchmark
companies currently allocate 1.26 FTEs to social media engagement and marketing across the
organization, a number which will jump to 2.00 by next year.
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Key Findings
7. Page | 7
As the scale and complexity of biopharma digital marketing grows, companies are using multi-tiered
delivery structures to meet the needs of diverse internal customers. Almost half (48%) of benchmark
companies use a hybrid DM structure, where activities are divided between centralized and brand teams.
Fully centralized (5%) or decentralized structures (18%) are now rare.
Digital Marketing Is Administered by Increasingly Complex Function
Q. How is the digital marketing function structured within your organization?
% Respondents
Digital Marketing Function Structure:
Total Benchmark Class
Centralized,
standalone group, 5%
Part of MCM,
Innovation, or Center
of Excellence group,
30%
Embedded within
brands or business
units, 18%
Mix of centralized
team and brand-
embedded digital
marketers, 48%
N=39
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100%
100%
100%
100%
90%
60%
90%
70%
67%
60%
N=9-10
Creating a Strong Digital Culture:
Brand-Aligned DM TeamsCentralized MCM Teams
100%
94%
100%
83%
89%
53%
53%
33%
28%
17%
Executing effective marketing
campaigns directly to customers
Building digital infrastructure to
enhance customer engagement (e.g.,
iPad technology, CRM)
Gathering insights and analytics to
inform strategy and improve
business
Rapidly assessing new technologies
and digital opportunities to lead
brands forward
Digitizing the value chain and other
operational areas to seed efficiency
Active Positive Performance
N=17-18
Digital teams with strong brand reporting lines are often silo-ed and are frequently unable to foster a
strong digital culture across the organization. These groups struggle especially with digitizing the value
chain (only 17% report positive performance), implementing new technologies (28%), and gathering
insights (33%). Counterparts in centralized MCM teams excel in all of these areas.
Brand-Aligned DM Teams Struggle to Foster an Infectious Digital Culture
Q. How would you assess the current performance of your team in connecting the “digital thread”
across the following operational lines?
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1.3
1.5
1.3
2.0
0.1 0.1
0.0 0.0
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
Current FTE Headcount - Social Media Only Planned Headcount for Next Year - Social Media Only
% Respondents
N=36
On average, benchmark companies currently allocate 1.26 FTEs to social media engagement and
marketing across the organization. Driven by significant SM pushes at several companies, the industry on
the whole projects an average of 2.02 FTEs in 2016.
Staffing across Social Marketing Will Jump from 1.26 to 2 FTEs in 2016
Q. What is your organization’s total FTE staffing investment across all social media programs?
Social Media (Only) FTE Staffing Allocation:
Total Benchmark Class
Planned:
2016 Social Media
Headcount
2015
Social Media
Headcount
10. Page | 10
United States
& Canada, 54%
Asia-Pacific,
21%
Europe, 15%
Latin America,
5%
Other, 5%
Benchmark Research Reflects Digital Practices around the Globe
N=39
Country:
*Other countries represented:
Saudi Arabia, Russia
*
Q. In what country or region are you currently located?
Study participants provide digital services to major markets around the world. More than half serve
the US and Canada, with strong representation from both the Asia-Pacific and European markets.
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Best Practices®, LLC is an internationally recognized thought leader in the field of best practice
benchmarking®. We are a research, consulting, benchmark database, publishing and advisory firm that
conducts work based on the simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior
economic performance by leveraging the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of
world-class companies.
6350 Quadrangle Drive, Suite 200
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
(Phone): 919-403-0251
www.best-in-class.com
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