We analyzed 20 pharma websites and spoke with 10 CMOs and digital leads from mid-to-large pharma brands across India. Almost everyone said the same thing. "We're spending on omnichannel HCP marketing, but HCP engagement platforms aren’t delivering actual engagement. Doctors are tuning out. Campaigns are misfiring. The tools appear great on paper, but they are not giving us the desired results. Our content is disengaging, and we don't know what to do about digital marketing."
So, what’s really going on?
You’re Not Competing with Other Pharma Brands. You’re Competing with a Dozen Tabs Open in a Doctor’s Head
Let’s stop pretending doctors are sitting around waiting to read brand emails or click on your portal link.
They’re busy.
Cynical.
Overwhelmed.
If your HCP engagement platform doesn’t give them immediate, relevant, and useful content, or if it forces them to jump through hoops, they bounce. If your omnichannel strategy is just recycled sales aids across email, WhatsApp, and reps, it’s not a strategy. It’s noise.
And most CMOs know this. What they don’t know is why it's still happening even after throwing budget and platforms at it.
Fragmented Tools, Fragmented Outcomes
One CMO told us, “We’ve got more tech vendors than actual use cases.” That’s not rare. In fact, it’s common. You’ve got a CRM here, a rep app there, some content automation tools on the side, and none of it is connected. And yet you're being told this is omnichannel.
Spoiler: it's not.
Real omnichannel HCP marketing starts with a unified story and clear logic across touchpoints. Right now, too many pharma brands are building tech stacks based on sales pitches, not strategy. And none of these so-called tools for medical rep engagement are being used in a way that respects a doctor's time or mindset.
The Engagement Problem Isn’t a Tech Problem. It’s a Content Problem.
CMOs often believe that fixing engagement means buying a new platform. It doesn’t. It means figuring out why a doctor should give you 10 seconds of attention. Right now, most pharma content is built for brand managers, not for HCPs. It reads like regulatory paperwork with a sales agenda.
We looked at hundreds of HCP-facing assets, including their landing pages, WhatsApp messages, and even AR tools. Less than 15% had a clear narrative. Fewer had value. HCP engagement platforms become pointless when the content on them has no hook.
Reps Aren’t Failing. They’re Flying Blind
You want omnichannel? Start with your reps. They’re your front-line channel. But most tools for medical rep engagement aren’t designed to equip them with context or insight. They’re just digital brochures in a new wrapper.
If your reps don’t know what a doctor clicked on last week, what they downloaded, or what channel they prefer, you’re not doing omnichannel. You’re just adding digital layers to an analog system.
Compliance is Becoming a Convenient Excuse
A lot of pharma CMOs say, “We’re restricted in what we can say.” Fair. But UCPMP doesn’t ban creativity. It bans manipulation. There’s a huge middle ground between fear-based silence and wild-west marketing. Most HCP engagement fails not because of regulation, but because the brand didn’t try harder to be human and useful within the rules.
So How Do You Fix It?
Here’s what we’ve learned through this research: pharma brands that win attention from doctors in 2025 are the ones that stop thinking in campaigns and start thinking in moments. They use HCP engagement platforms not as dumping grounds for PDFs, but as a feedback loop. They treat omnichannel HCP marketing as a strategy, not a checklist.
They focus less on more channels, and more on better timing, better storytelling, and better context.
Here’s what you should do next
If any of this hits too close to home, and you're wondering how to even start untangling the mess, don’t go back to your tech vendor for answers. Start by reading this:
Reps to Results: How Indian Pharma Can Fix HCP Engagement with Tech-Led Marketing
It’s our whitepaper based on actual CMO interviews, platform audits, and HCP insights. Download it now. Then let's talk, before your next campaign gets ignored too.
