From Goldmine to Growth: How Pharma Can Finally Put Its CDP to Work

Across the industry, pharma companies are investing millions into Customer Data Platforms (CDPs). On paper, they look like a goldmine: one customer view, personalised engagement, omnichannel activation. 

In practice, too many sit untouched.  

The Promise That Slips Away 

A CDP is designed to unify data from multiple sources, CRM, web, email, events, into a single, unified HCP profile. For leadership, the value is clear: better omnichannel orchestration, more effective targeting, and a single source of truth that enables data-driven decisions and customer engagement at scale. 

But the view from the ground is different. Many brand teams can’t access the system directly. Those who do often find documentation written in highly technical language that doesn’t connect to their day-to-day. They could see the door, but had no way to open it. 

The result?  

Personalisation often happens by accident rather than intent. Without a usable customer profile, brand teams plan campaigns channel by channel, with loosely defined audiences. The CDP becomes a costly investment with little visible impact on brand performance. #

The Reality Inside One Company 

We saw this play out with a global pharma company that had already laid strong technical foundations. Their CRM, web, and email data were connected. On (digital) paper, they had everything needed, but when brand teams attempted to use the CDP, they quickly found themselves blocked. They lacked clarity on what data was actually available, struggled to understand how to translate that data into usable audiences, and couldn’t see a clear path to activating campaigns. What felt logical to IT teams came across as overly technical and abstract for marketers. Leaving the system feeling inaccessible and disconnected from day-to-day brand needs.  

At the same time, questions from leadership grew. With millions already invested, questions about ROI became harder to ignore. The CDP was supposed to be a cornerstone of omnichannel strategy, but instead it was perceived as a cost centre waiting to prove its value. 

The Turning Point 

The breakthrough didn’t come from adding more integrations or chasing the next shiny feature. It came from building brand-specific use cases that connected strategy with data. It was about bridging the gap, understanding both the technical depth of the CDP and the nuances of brand strategy, to ensure that marketers could actually harness the data to deliver against their brand objectives 

That meant shifting the CDP into a true audience planning tool. Data was democratised, abstract attributes became tangible customer segments, and complex documentation was distilled into a clear framework that marketers could apply directly. From launch brands preparing to go to market to established products managing loss of exclusivity, the data was finally contextualised to support real brand strategy.  

This wasn’t about building something new. It was about unlocking the potential of what already existed and putting the keys into the hands of the teams who needed it most. 

Everyone began speaking the same language, which meant everyone could move forward in lockstep. 

The shift was tangible. Instead of asking what channels should we use to engage this customer? they started asking who is this message for?  

The Impact 

With a single customer profile powering decisions, marketing and customer experiences became consistent across every channel. Marketers could explore and size audiences in real time, giving them direct visibility into who they were reaching and how. 

Audience sizing began to drive content strategy. Instead of creating assets in the abstract, marketers could invest in developing content that matched the scale and needs of specific audiences, ensuring resources went where they would deliver the most impact. 

This shift put data directly in the hands of marketers, making audience planning faster, clearer, and more connected to brand objectives. The result was a stronger alignment between customer needs and brand strategy, closing the loop between insight and execution. 

Leadership could finally point to a tangible return on their investment. The platform shifted from being a conceptual asset to a practical tool that shaped brand strategy. 

And critically, the CDP was no longer “owned” by IT alone. It became a marketing platform, enabling regulatory-compliant segmentation and supporting omnichannel orchestration at scale. 

This story isn’t unusual. Across pharma, CDPs are being built but struggling to deliver. The issue isn’t the technology. It’s accessibility. 

Pharma has never lacked data. The challenge is turning that data into something that teams can actually use. That means making CDPs understandable, usable, and aligned to brand priorities. It means translating technical systems into business outcomes. And it means recognising that empowering marketers is just as important as integrating data sources. 

The companies that succeed will be those who make their data a competitive advantage. If you’d like to explore how, our team is here to talk.

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