Adopting Modular Content in Pharma: A Case Study of Merck

Merck is a global healthcare company that specializes in prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products. The company is committed to improving health and well-being around the world. From developing new therapies that treat and prevent disease to helping people in need, Merck is driven by a mission to discover, develop and provide innovative products and services that save and improve lives. The company's decision to adopt a modular content approach was driven by the need for a more sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective content creation process.

Merck, a leading pharmaceutical company, was facing challenges with its traditional content creation process. The company was creating individual content assets from scratch, a method that was becoming increasingly unsustainable due to the changing dynamics of the industry. The process was not only time-consuming but also lacked efficiency and consistency. The company was also struggling with the high costs associated with creating new content for each campaign, especially for email campaigns. The need for a more sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective content creation process was evident.

Merck decided to adopt a modular content approach, a method that allows for the creation, review, and approval of content in a more streamlined and efficient manner. The company integrated standardized technology with Veeva Vault PromoMats to simplify the process for both internal users and external creative agencies. The modular content approach involved creating 'Story Cards', atomic-level components expressing a single idea, which could be reused across different campaigns. This approach not only expedited the review process but also ensured brand consistency. Additionally, Merck developed a proprietary tool to track content reuse, savings, click-throughs, email opens, and more, providing valuable data to further optimize their content strategy.

• The adoption of modular content has brought about significant operational benefits for Merck. The company has been able to maintain brand consistency across different campaigns by disconnecting the layout from the content. This has also led to cost savings as the agency is not creating multiple website screens and emails for the same content. The modular content approach has also enabled Merck to create more relevant content based on data, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of their campaigns. Furthermore, the company has been able to reduce agency costs and repurpose content without additional payment to the agency. The modular content approach has also paved the way for the future evolution of hyperpersonalized content.

• Adopting modular content allowed Merck to double the amount of email they could create.
• The time difference between creating a Story Card versus a complete iPad or even an email is much shorter, leading to significant time savings.
• Merck saw a 15% increase in click-throughs after adopting the modular content approach.