The Pharma Content Scandal: Why Your Hard Work is Falling Short

Pharma has a massive content problem, and it isn’t for a lack of effort. We are producing 20% more content every year, yet the gap between what we build and what actually gets used is staggering with 77% of all field content is never used.

If you are a Brand Manager, Medical Reviewer or part of a field team, you likely feel the weight of this “content trap” every day. Here is the reality of the waste cycle, and how to break it.

The Bloat: A Multifactorial Mess

E-details grow over years as layers of information are added. It isn’t just one person’s fault; it’s a systemic failure built into how we work.

• Listening to the “Loudest Voice”: Content is often added because a single stakeholder or the “loudest rep” insists on including specific papers or data points that aren’t necessarily based on broad customer needs.
• Stakeholder Pile-On: Before you know it, Global, Medical, and your manager have all requested “essential” additions to the iCVA.
• Role Churn: With the typical 18-month tenure, new managers often ship their own strategy rather than inheriting an old one, creating an “archaeology” of unused materials.
• The “Just in Case” Culture: We keep every slide “just in case” someone asks, resulting in 200+ page e-details built for internal approval committees rather than the 10-minute window of a real call, often causing paralysis.
• Bad incentives: The uncomfortable truth of the creative industry is that most business models are built on deliverables. This naturally rewards expansion over reduction. However, the most effective content is often the most concise.

The Internal Friction: MLR Pressure & “Deadlines”

The more content you shove into the system, the more internal friction you create between Medical and Marketing.

• Approval Gridlock: Pushing high volumes through the Medical, Legal, and Regulatory (MLR) process creates massive tension and delays.
• Committees Over Customers: Content is often designed to pass legal caveats rather than to facilitate an interaction with a questioning doctor.
• The Cycle Meeting Rush: Success is frequently measured by simply getting the content ready for the next cycle meeting, rather than observing how it is actually used in the field.

The Field Team’s “Lucky Dip”

When this mountain of content hits the field, it doesn’t empower reps, it bamboozles them.

• The Choice Paradox: Reps are handed sales aids that are often over a hundred pages long, yet in the average call only three or four slides are used.
• Nudge Theory in Action: When faced with overwhelming complexity, humans revert to what is safe. Reps often ignore new content and stick to the same few slides they’ve used for years.
• The Illusion of Success: If you are “hitting your numbers,” it’s easy to assume the content is working. In reality, because we rarely track what is used, it is a “lucky dip” if the content actually meets a doctor’s needs.

The Massive Perception Gap

There is a 54-point “scandal” (perception gap) in how we view success:

• 82% of pharma executives believe their customer engagement is working.
• Only 28% of doctors actually agree.

While leadership thinks “more is better,” the simplicity of the customer experience has completely collapsed.

The Solution: Plan for the Interaction, Not the Internal Stakeholder

To bridge the 54-point perception gap, we must stop producing for approval committees and start producing for the call. True customer-centric planning means moving away from “neutral content“, factual information disconnected from an outcome – and focusing on the pains and outcomes that drive HCP behaviour.

One Bit of Friendly Advice to Get Moving:

Stop focusing solely on the “next cycle” and start looking at the current one. Next time you are planning, don’t ask what’s missing, ask what’s distracting. Identify the 200+ slides that the “loudest voice” or global team insisted on that are currently sitting at 0% usage. Speak with your field team and find out why they are not used and if possible, delete them.

Clearing the “content clutter” is the fastest way to stop forcing your reps into a “lucky dip” and finally allow them to focus on the three or four slides that actually move the needle for patients.

We have helped countless clients resolve the content trap, relieving the stress for individuals and teams, as well as improving the customer experience.