Insight from ePharma Summit

600+ of the pharmaceutical digerati convened in NYC this week to learn and collaborate. Keyword tags for the event include: mobility, collaboration, apps, multi-channel marketing, regulatory compliance, customers, social media, personalized experience, and content. All very good stuff.

I spoke during a track session and shared some experiential insights on deploying mobility solutions within an enterprise. About half my audience had developed a mobile app; the rest were contemplating doing so. Many were seeking ways to help their organization create a comprehensive mobility strategy. Some were hesitant to involve their IT department. Say what?

The most cogent thing I heard during the summit was from Charlotte McKines, VP Global Marketing Communications Merck. During her keynote session McKines stated (and I paraphrase) that it was high time the CMO and the CIO align their missions, objectives and budgets.

My questions for marketers: when was the last time you sat down with your IT counterparts to discuss your vision, strategy and tactics? When do you bring IT into the decision process? How have you involved IT in becoming part of the solution rather than viewing them as the problem? How can you expect to be a “digital” marketer when you don’t involve the “digital” people?

My questions for IT: are you known more for saying no than for seeking ways to say yes? Have you clearly identified, in simple lay-person terms, what concerns you?  What have you done to affect the performance of the business in terms of revenue or cost? Would your co-workers say you stimulate, serve or stifle the team?

In this age of “collaboration”, I hope all who attended realize they cannot do it alone, and they come to work on Monday seeking ways to better align with the business.