AI and Global Planning: Key Takeaways from NEXT Pharma 2025

AI and Global Planning: Key Takeaways from NEXT Pharma 2025

At NEXT Pharma 2025, one message resonated across every panel, and breakout session: AI is no longer a future ambition, it’s a present-day driver for transformation. For those of us in pharmaceutical marketing, this shift is not just exciting, it is redefining how we approach global media planning, campaign execution, and audience engagement. 

Today, generative AI is a core component of our strategic approach, particularly when it comes to global planning. With its ability to process and interpret vast volumes of data, AI allows us to uncover market-specific insights, anticipate audience behavior, and make smarter, faster decisions about where and how to invest media budgets across regions. This means we’re not just working more efficiently, we’re planning more intelligently, with a deeper understanding of the specifics that drive performance in different markets. 

A standout example of this innovation in action is our use of AI to automate critical steps in the campaign lifecycle, from reviewing trafficking orders and validating creative assets to building campaigns and assigning tracking elements. This in-house technology doesn’t just streamline operations and free up our team’s time; it reflects a broader industry shift driven by the alignment of advanced AI capabilities and the evolving needs of both patients and healthcare professionals. As patients demand more personalized, timely, and effective health interventions, HCPs seek tools that enhance efficiency and support better outcomes. For pharma and health brands, this signals a need to rethink traditional workflows and invest in intelligent systems that not only improve operational agility but also enable more meaningful engagement across the healthcare system.

The increasing use of automation tools across the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries signals a commitment to strategic innovation and global performance. These technologies are not just about boosting productivity, they’re creating a shift toward more insight-driven, regionally optimized, and culturally relevant campaigns. By automating routine tasks, organizations can redirect focus toward higher-value activities like strategic planning and performance optimization. This is critical in a global context, where cultural specifics, regulatory landscapes, and behavioral differences significantly influence campaign effectiveness.

As someone who works within the global planning team, I have seen firsthand how AI is already leveraging us to tailor strategies to local market dynamics, whether that’s adjusting messaging for regional preferences, reallocating budgets based on real-time performance data, or identifying emerging trends before they go mainstream. AI gives us the ability to respond quickly and the intelligence to plan proactively. It’s helping us move from reactive to predictive planning, which is a game-changer in today’s fast-moving media landscape. 

A final key takeaway from the event was the importance of balancing technology with human insight. While AI can process data at scale and speed, it’s the human perspective and touch that ensures campaigns are inclusive, and culturally relevant. This balance is especially important in healthcare, where trust and clarity are essential. 

NEXT Pharma 2025 made one thing clear: AI is no longer optional, it’s a catalyst for redefining how the pharmaceutical industry engages with healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers. To truly unlock its potential, pharma brands must go beyond surface-level ideas. To stay ahead in this new landscape, pharma brands need to look at ways of working and be open to new ideas, whether that’s rethinking traditional campaign models, testing new data-driven approaches, or integrating AI across global planning and measurement. Breaking down silos between marketing, medical, regulatory, and data teams is essential to creating the agility and collaboration needed to innovate on a scale. The brands that will thrive are those willing to challenge the ordinary and continuously evolve their strategies to meet the changing needs of patients and healthcare professionals worldwide.

AI is not just a tool, it’s enabling us to elevate our global planning capabilities, deliver more impactful campaigns, and continue to lead the competition in an ever-changing global landscape. As we look ahead, the focus remains on embedding AI deeper into our workflows, expanding our global expertise, and helping our clients navigate this evolving media environment with confidence.

NEXT Pharma 2025 was a powerful reminder that the future of healthcare marketing lies at the intersection of technology and humanity. And as marketers at the forefront of the use of AI, we’re proud to be shaping that future, one insight-driven campaign at a time.

Sophie Trinder is Supervisor, Global Engagement Strategy at CMI Media Group, a WPP Company. For more information visit: cmimediagroup.com