Connecting Insights for Better Brand Performance

Authored by: Carol Chang, Vice President, Research Partnership & Serena Goodwin, Global Vice President, STEM

Are life science leaders armed with consolidated insights that go beyond silos? Are follow-up studies used to understand the pull-through of recommendations and the impact on prescribing? The answer for most leaders is ‘no,’ yet it is the route to better brand performance and connected insights between internal perceptions, customer perceptions, and real-world evidence of prescribing impact.

As leaders in healthcare and life science market research at Research Partnership and brand strategy alignment and execution measurement at STEM, both part of Inizio Advisory, we know insights are not always consolidated. While operating in one of the best decades for the ‘art of the possible’ thanks to technology combined with experience – the dots are still not always connected for better brand performance.

However, organizations that are consolidating insights are experiencing phenomenal growth and protecting themselves from market volatility and the threat of new entrants.

With years of combined real-world experience leading life science market research teams, we are sharing how this works in practice with a real-life example of the success that can be achieved and how.

Real-life Analysis

So what is happening? In reality, life science organizations are adept at gathering data – they then engage different partners to refine this for actionable insights by:

• Collaborating with Market Research Agencies to conduct SFE tracking, aiming to understand HCP perceptions of brands, messaging, and their experiences with Reps.
• Engaging Strategic Consultancies to assess the alignment of their internal Commercial (Marketing & Sales) teams around strategy and sales team effectiveness.
• Utilizing Secondary Data to analyze the impact and predict future prescribing trends.

However, these efforts are rarely integrated, giving an incomplete picture of market dynamics and HCP prescribing behaviors.

Brand performance can accelerate even further when all of the above are combined. An integrated approach allows organizations to align strategic initiatives with real-world execution, leading to more informed decision-making and better outcomes.

Incorporating Multiple Perspectives – Best Practice

A practical approach to better brand performance should incorporate multiple perspectives, including understanding HCP behavior, internal strategic alignment, field execution analysis, and performance tracking.

A multi-perspective framework looks like this:

1. Understanding HCP Behavior: Primary market research provides insights into HCP perceptions, message resonance, and prescribing behaviors.
2. Internal Strategic Alignment: Interviews with home office (marketing and sales leadership), sales management (regional and first line managers), and sales representatives help assess how well commercial teams understand and implement brand strategies.
3. Field Execution Analysis: Observing real-world interactions helps evaluate how sales representatives communicate value propositions.
4. Performance Tracking: Secondary data allows us to monitor prescribing trends and measure the impact of strategic adjustments over time.

The case study below shows that by combining these elements, organizations can move beyond surface-level metrics and uncover the underlying drivers of success or misalignment.

Case Study: Identifying and Addressing Misalignment

Despite strong adoption post-launch, our client’s product saw a plateau in share and then declining sales following a market-triggered safety concern, in addition to the entry of a new competitor. To gain a holistic view to inform marketing strategies, we conducted research and uncovered the following:

• Market research revealed that HCPs recognized the brand’s efficacy, but safety concerns remained a barrier.
• Internal assessments showed that sales representatives lacked confidence and overemphasized safety discussions at the expense of efficacy messaging.
• Secondary data confirmed a direct correlation between these misalignments and declining prescriptions.

Understanding the challenge from a 360-degree view, the client’s organization quickly pivoted by updating sales materials to address these gaps, emphasizing patient-centric messaging, and providing additional training. As a result, their market share stabilized and grew within a year.

Value of Consolidated Insights

Integrating market research insights with internal commercial assessments enables a deeper understanding of brand perception and prescribing behavior. A brand can also identify and address misalignment between strategy and execution, continuously track performance, and refine strategies over time.

By consolidating insights, life sciences organizations can achieve their strategic goals in an increasingly crowded market.