CASE STUDY: Business Intelligence
Analytics and insights with real impact
FORTUNE 250 CORPORATION | PHARMACEUTICALS AND BIOTECH | UNITED STATES
With ZS’s help, a Business Issue
pharmaceutical Staggering potential and real hurdles
manufacturer The potential in the oncology market is
staggering: Industry observers estimate that
developed oncology drugs will soon exceed $100 billion
sophisticated
in annual sales. But that potential means
more competition—there were 19 oncology
analytics critical drug launches in 2013 followed by eight in
2014, while hundreds of unique products are
to making an in development.
oncology product Sales and marketing for these drugs is a
launch
complex undertaking, as understanding
customer preferences and decision making
successful. in prescribing oncology drugs is far more
difficult than in other therapy areas.
To overcome this complexity in sales and
marketing, predictive analytics has become
essential. However, data issues like
imperfect affiliations, partial and limited
data capture and unclear indications
comprise major hurdles in building an
analytics solution that delivers insights.
What’s more, ZS research shows more than
75% of firms find it difficult to develop
effective sales and marketing processes in
oncology—meaning companies that can
develop insight via analytics will have a
decided competitive advantage.
The Problem
Analytics for a new product
A pharma company introducing its first
cancer drug faced an issue typical for an
oncology launch: limited insight into market
dynamics and understanding of customer
decision making.
The company needed sophisticated
analytics to view physician and account
uptake, customer preferences and other
competitive intelligence.
Building these capabilities was not simple.
Multiple stakeholders are involved in
oncology treatments, requiring better
understanding of stakeholder interactions
and process that require data from multiple
sources. Although the product had great
promise, it faced competition that would be
introduced earlier, and delays limited the
time for launch prep.
In addition, the company needed post-launch
analytics to assess commercial
effectiveness—this required a long-term,
holistic solution encompassing enterprise-
level capabilities, technology, software
and governance.
“We had different systems for different
things,” according to a company director.
“For each therapeutic area, there was
one place for sales data, one place for
marketing, and you had to stitch that
together for insight.”
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ZS “understood the The Solution IMPACT

business, our A cloud-based analytics platform
culture, and could ZS and the company created a cloud-based
navigate our internal data management and analytics solution to
processes,” support information needs for its oncology
franchise.
according to a
director involved Because of the limited window in which to
deliver the solution, ZS and the company
with the project. experimented with unorthodox approaches
“ZS has a genuine to answer business questions quickly and
passion for what they roll out a technology platform in a matter of
do. They were a true weeks.
partner—they were Ultimately, the solution included:
just as excited as us + A cloud-based data warehouse that
to get this solution integrated 15 data sources refreshed daily,
weekly or monthly
out the door.”
+ A MicroStrategy-based platform providing
analytics for all commercial stakeholders
+ Integration of the analytics platform with
downstream systems supporting real-time
data exchange, ensuring a single version of
the truth
+ Sophisticated mobile apps to support reps’
daily activities
+ An on-demand, self-service analytics
platform for company headquarters and
dashboards for executive leadership
Pre- and post-launch impact
ZS delivered the analytics in time to prepare
for the competitor’s launch, helping the
company identify sales targets, understand
customer preferences and market dynamics.
For the company’s own product introduction,
ZS delivered perhaps a bigger impact:
+ The company had “day one visibility into
launch trajectory” and the ability to correct
deficiencies as they arise
+ Real market insights into performance on
products, customers and channel partners
+ Near universal adaptation of the solution
with the field force and headquarters
analysts
+ Enterprise-level capability build and
deployment leveraging to help reduce
costs and time, and deploy next-generation
technology platforms
Because of its industry expertise, tech and
business acumen, and assets and
accelerators in the MicroStrategy platform,
ZS was uniquely positioned to deliver a fully
integrated solution, according to the director.
“ZS understood the business, our culture,
and could navigate our internal processes,”
he says. “ZS has a genuine passion for what
they do. They were a true partner—they were
just as excited as us to get this solution out
the door.”

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operations and technology. More than 3,000 ZS professionals in 21 offices worldwide draw
on deep industry and domain expertise to deliver impact where it matters for clients across
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© 2015 ZS Associates
01-15