By Emma Jolly, Director, Client Partnership, Inizio Evoke Europe, and Chris Russell, Senior Associate Director, Omnichannel Strategy, Inizio Evoke Europe.
“Evolution doesn’t happen by being right.”
That single introductory line from Paul Simm set the tone for two days of intense conversation at Pharmageddon Europe 2025 and it remains one of the most memorable. The event was not about disruption for its own sake but taking time to pause and ask whether pharma’s focus on proving itself might be preventing it from truly evolving.
Across every session, there was a consistent thread: pharma does not lack intelligence or ideas, it lacks the confidence to execute at speed in new and different ways. We have the data, the tools, and the ambition, but not always the permission to experiment, fail forward, and adapt in real time.
Fear, Failure, and the Myth of Perfection
One of the first provocations hit close to home. Our biggest problem, several argued, is fear of making mistakes. For an industry built on precision, this makes sense, but innovation depends on iteration – does pharma still equate imperfection with risk? “We are not even doing omnichannel properly, so how can we move forward to predictive engagement?” was one question that captured the feeling in the room.
Despite heavy investment, omnichannel is delivering only modest results. While almost all marketing spend now sits under the omnichannel umbrella, improvement in engagement is often no more than 5-15%. Half of organisations are not optimising their channels, and fewer than 1 in 10 are actively reshaping their performance models.
The message was clear: omnichannel modernisation is not an intellectual problem, it is an executional one. We already know what good looks like; the challenge lies in finding the courage to act on it.
Rethinking Measurement and Meaning
Pharma’s relationship with measurement came under scrutiny too. “Dashboards need to die,” one speaker said, earning both laughs and nods. The comment was not anti-data, it was anti-complacency. Too often, measurement is retrospective and self-congratulatory, and we report on activity rather than true impact. In doing so, we create an illusion of clarity, mistaking motion for momentum.
The call was to redesign metrics around outcomes that matter. Imagine measuring understanding instead of clicks, confidence instead of conversions, empathy instead of engagement rates. True progress will be seen when success is defined by learning, not logistics.
Compliance as Part of Creative Craft
Compliance was another recurring theme, but not as a limitation. “You cannot be a good sports person without knowing the rules,” one attendee said, and the same applies to pharma. Several voices argued for compliance to be part of the creative process, not a final checkpoint and seen as a hurdle to overcome. When Compliance are involved early in our creative work, we become collective problem solvers, where Compliance can shape ideas rather than restrict them. Guardrails that exist to protect pharma, HCPs, and patients should be used to encourage innovation, provided they are used as guides rather than walls. The future will favour teams that see compliance as craft, blending responsibility with creativity to produce work that is both brave and safe.
AI: A Mirror, Not a Replacement
Artificial intelligence naturally dominated much of the discussion, but with refreshing realism. AI was described as a mirror of human behaviour, not a replacement for it and that it can execute direction, but it cannot invent or determine our purpose.
AI delivers speed and efficiency, but meaning will still come from our human perspectives and strategy. The question, therefore, is not “How do we use AI?” but “What human outcome are we trying to improve, and how can AI support that?”
Another myth was also challenged, that of “launch readiness”. Is perfection at launch an illusion? True readiness lies in willingness and speed of adaptability. Building speed of learning into launch metrics could prove a more powerful indicator of success than flawless execution on day one.
Predictive Engagement and the Case for Micro-Failure
Predictive engagement, using data to anticipate needs before they are expressed, is no longer a distant goal. The capability already exists, but adoption remains patchy. The limiting factor is not technology, but rather our collective discomfort with failing forward in our incredibly visible and regulated industry and environments.
But pharma’s instinct to avoid mistakes slows down the very learning that predictive systems depend on. Lively discussion uncovered that progress requires micro-failure, a mindset of small, transparent experiments that move us forward one test at a time.
“Do not ask what we can measure; ask what we can learn,” became something of a mantra. When experimentation is treated as a discipline rather than a danger, predictive engagement becomes both practical and powerful.
Trust, Inclusion, and Human Relevance
Trust also came under discussion. “Trust is about how you feel about what I say, but that is not enough anymore.” People want transparency, authenticity, and accountability. Younger HCPs and patients expect pharma to speak in a human tone, not a corporate one, and be able to find themselves in our messaging.
Inclusion was reframed, too – to not be about treating everyone the same, it’s designing with equal dignity and relevance. True inclusivity asks whether content, campaigns, or studies represent real-world diversity, and if the answer is no, then redesign. This shift from ethics to effectiveness represents a more mature form of progress, rather than compliance for its own sake, to genuine connection.
From Proof to Progress
Pharmageddon Europe did not promise a new playbook or reveal a single blueprint for the future. Instead, it reminded us that pharma’s evolution depends not on perfection, but on perspective.
We are data-rich and insight-poor. We are brilliant at measuring what we have done, yet often slow to understand what we have changed, and whether we have changed it for the better. AI, omnichannel, compliance, and creative experimentation are all parts of the solution, but none will matter unless we act with purpose and humility.
Pharma does not need to reinvent its purpose, but remember it, live it, and move forward with curiosity. Evolution, after all, does not happen by being right. It happens by being ready to learn.
Connect with our team to learn more about these insights here.