GSK: Tips for Fast and Coordinated Content Distribution

This video provides an in-depth exploration of how a major pharmaceutical company, GSK, ensures fast and coordinated content distribution by creating a seamless connection between content approval and field execution, leveraging the Veeva ecosystem. The central challenge addressed is bridging the gap between a material being approved in Veeva PromoMats and its actual execution in the field, followed by the subsequent capture of performance data for actionable insights. The speaker emphasizes that achieving this unique level of tracking and coordination hinges entirely on establishing and enforcing rigorous data standards.

The core methodology discussed involves using consistent metadata and tagging as the foundational link. The speaker stresses that during the content authoring step—when content is created in programs like InDesign and moved into the production channel—it is critical to ensure that every tag, metadata field, or attribute is consistently inserted in the correct location. This consistency allows downstream systems, particularly business intelligence dashboards, to reliably pull the execution information back for tracking and analysis. Once this standard is established, the document number inside PromoMats becomes the "key" that unlocks the entire data flow. By tracing back to this single document number via a data lake, the system can access all associated metadata from PromoMats and marry it with execution data gathered from the field, ultimately feeding comprehensive insights onto a dashboard.

A significant point of failure addressed is the common desire for "advanced tagging" without understanding system limitations. The speaker advises marketeers to refocus the conversation on the actual capability of the distribution channel. Tagging is only valuable if the channel is built to accept and utilize that specific bit of information. For instance, a tag can tell you what video was watched (content authoring information), but it is the channel's capability that records how long the video was watched. Understanding this distinction is critical for effective intelligent engagement. Furthermore, the company addressed past failures in taxonomy implementation by taking the opportunity during the PromoMats launch to start from scratch, introducing a global taxonomy to standardize language and tracking across all content and channels.

The integration strategy leverages the native connectivity within the Veeva platform. The beauty of the Veeva ecosystem, according to the speaker, is that PromoMats inherently "speaks" to Veeva CRM, Approved Emails, and other options. This marriage of systems is facilitated by that single, common content document number or tag, ensuring that content moves fluidly from regulatory approval to commercial execution while maintaining a traceable audit trail and providing the necessary data foundation for advanced analytics and commercial optimization.

Key Takeaways: • Standards are the Foundation for Tracking: The ability to track content from production (PromoMats) to execution in the field and back to a dashboard is dependent on rigorous, enforced standards for metadata and tagging established during the initial content authoring phase. • PromoMats Document Number as the Integration Key: The unique document number assigned within PromoMats serves as the essential common identifier. Leveraging this number allows systems to trace execution data back to the original approved content and retrieve all associated metadata. • Data Lake Facilitates System Marriage: Utilizing a data lake is crucial for aggregating data. It acts as the central hub where the metadata retrieved from PromoMats is successfully married with the execution data captured from field channels (like CRM), enabling comprehensive insight generation via dashboards. • Refocus Tagging Strategy on Channel Capability: Instead of aiming for generalized "advanced tagging," commercial teams must clarify the specific capabilities of the distribution channel. A tag is only useful if the channel can accept and process that information to achieve the desired tracking goal. • Distinguish Content Tags from Channel Data: Understand the difference between information provided by the content itself (e.g., what video was watched, tracked via a tag) and information provided by the channel (e.g., how long the video was watched, tracked via channel functionality). • Global Taxonomy Implementation is Critical: Past failures in content tracking often stem from a lack of taxonomy adoption. Launching a new platform (like PromoMats) provides a strategic opportunity to start fresh and enforce a global taxonomy to ensure consistency across all content types and channels. • Veeva Ecosystem Simplifies Integration: The inherent connectivity of Veeva platforms (PromoMats, CRM, Approved Emails) streamlines the integration process, allowing the common content document number to serve as the consistent link across the entire commercial content lifecycle. • Metadata Consistency Drives Insights: Ensuring that metadata is consistent and inserted in the right place allows dashboards and BI systems to reliably pull information back, transforming raw execution data into actionable commercial insights for marketeers.

Tools/Resources Mentioned:

• Veeva PromoMats
• Veeva CRM
• Veeva Approved Emails
• InDesign (Content authoring program example)
• Data Lake

Key Concepts:

• Global Taxonomy: A standardized, shared classification system used across all content and platforms to ensure consistency in tagging and data retrieval.
• Intelligent Engagement: The strategic use of data and technology (like consistent tagging and integrated systems) to deliver highly relevant and personalized content to healthcare professionals and customers.
• Metadata/Tagging: Descriptive data embedded within content files that provides context, enabling systems to track, categorize, and integrate the content across different platforms.