Pharma Leaders: best practice Launch Deployment

Launch excellence in Pharma needs both inspirational, innovative brand development, as well as agile launch deployment, and they clearly need to work hand in hand: this article focusses on how to get the most out of your Launch Deployment, looking at the two critical components:

What you build requires new skills to leverage the new environment, and we look at three areas organisations need to focus on:

1. Aligning and preparing the organisation
2. Deploying powerful value propositions (by customer type)
3. Engaging external stakeholders

Aligning and preparing the organisation

They provide the right environments for launch communities to thrive and deliver successfully, with a strong focus on outcomes management. They also encourage independent strategic planning with scenario development that’s appropriate for their market or archetype.

Deploying powerful value propositions by customer type

Best practice launch teams are encouraged to be responsible for confirming and refining the target patient profile. With a strong focus on identifying powerful insights for these audiences, they will be best able to develop models of sustainable affordability, and persuasive communication and engagement campaigns, with messages tailored for each step of the patient journey.

Engaging external stakeholders

We outlined how important it is to think broadly about stakeholders in our article no 2 on new approaches to Brand Development. Sensitive management of external relationships with KOL and Key Accounts is critical, and in many cases working collaboratively with external partners globally and locally will be required. And new technologies, channels and changes in regulation mean that sensitive use of integrated communications, with precision marketing where appropriate is now the norm.

Building excellence in Launch Deployment

Thinking about how you build excellence in Launch Deployment, requires clear identification of the internal audiences, and commitment to a vibrant launch learning community.

Leaders need to recognise that Launch Deployment is a special situation:

• Local Launch managers are often doing this for the first time;
• Teams are newly formed for the job;
• Individuals experience is diverse: new to the brand, the therapy area and in some cases the Company;
• There are unusually high levels of uncertainty as data is still being developed and finalised.
• And of course, time is short, risks are significant!

So, everyone needs a personalised experience, which is designed to flex across the launch journey, and supporting key activities: planning, learning, sharing, and executing.

The new technologies and experience platforms available to learning teams mean that individuals can be supported by a tailored combination of push and pull activity. This is especially possible in the launch environment because of the tightly managed launch timetable. In addition, the prevalence of digital launch planners means there is usually a good foundation to build on. So that each individual and every launch team is well supported and enabled to succeed, so that every launch is better than the last one.

Driving for launch deployment is an evolution in our experience and we’ve identified 4 levels of capability that can enable leaders to understand their position, and develop the roadmap needed to create successful teams in vibrant brand launch communities.

Talk to us

If you’d like to talk more about how we can help develop your launch capability, please do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you - sarah.langan@oxfordsm.com.