Science alone isn't enough: Menarini APAC CMO on pharma marketing's future

Marketing in the pharmaceutical industry has long been associated with science, regulations and clinical evidence. Yet for Adeline Lim (pictured), the future of healthcare marketing depends just as much on empathy, creativity and understanding people as it does on medical data.

Having spent more than two years leading marketing across Asia Pacific for Menarini, Lim said her focus has been on moving the organisation beyond traditional pharmaceutical marketing towards an approach that is "more human, relevant, and connected."

"When I stepped into this role, my objective was to evolve our approach beyond traditional pharmaceutical marketing," she said in conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

That transformation has centred on three priorities: shifting from "selling" to "solving", making data more meaningful, and empowering teams to think creatively despite operating in one of the world's most heavily regulated industries.

Don't miss: Menarini consolidates APAC media mandate with agency appointment 

Rather than relying solely on product messaging, Lim said Menarini has focused on understanding the real needs of healthcare professionals and patients so that every interaction adds value. At the same time, customer data has become "the voice of the customer at scale", helping the business uncover behavioural insights that enable more personalised engagement.

The third pillar has been creating a culture where marketers feel comfortable taking calculated creative risks.

"In a highly regulated environment, there is a natural tendency to be risk-averse, so we have focused on creating a culture where teams feel confident to think creatively and act with agility," she said.

Blending pharma discipline with creative thinking

Lim's career spanning both pharmaceutical and medical technology companies has also shaped how she approaches modern marketing.

While pharma taught her the importance of scientific credibility and clinical rigour, medtech exposed her to faster innovation cycles, user-centric thinking and stronger product experiences.

"I want our teams to uphold the same level of scientific discipline and integrity that pharma demands, while also embracing the agility, creativity, and user-centric thinking that define medtech," she explained.

The result, she added, is a mindset that views marketing not as promoting therapies or devices, but as shaping an entire healthcare experience. That philosophy has become increasingly important as Menarini evolves from what Lim describes as one of healthcare's "quiet giants."

Historically, the company built its reputation through hospitals, specialists and healthcare professionals. However, the growth of its consumer healthcare and aesthetics businesses means patients are becoming a much larger part of the conversation.

"Patients today are far more informed and proactive about their health," Lim said. "The ambition is to be recognised not only within the medical community, but also by consumers across APAC as a partner in their health and wellbeing."

Despite rapid advances in AI, digital commerce and data analytics, Lim believes healthcare marketing still begins with one non-negotiable principle.

"At the core, the non-negotiable foundation is science-backed evidence. Without clinical integrity, nothing else holds. In healthcare, trust is the most important currency."

However, science alone is no longer enough across a region as diverse as Asia Pacific.

"You need the digital and eCommerce capabilities to reach increasingly mobile-first populations. You need data and AI to deliver more personalised engagement. Equally important is creative translation, the ability to take complex scientific information and turn it into something meaningful, accessible and culturally relevant," she said. 

Local insight, regional impact

Some of Menarini's strongest campaigns demonstrate how deep consumer understanding can unlock commercial growth.

One example is Dermatix, which has grown into the company's largest consumer healthcare brand after Menarini invested in a five-year consumer insight study spanning nine APAC markets.

Rather than focusing solely on scar treatment, the research explored the emotional journey of mothers recovering from Caesarean deliveries. "To build a meaningful consumer healthcare brand, you have to invest in deeply understanding your consumer over time," Lim said.

The insights enabled Menarini to shift Dermatix from being viewed as simply a scar treatment product to becoming a trusted recovery partner, while strengthening educational efforts and improving treatment adoption across the region.

The strategy also helped establish Dermatix as the market leader across multiple APAC markets, with brand awareness rising from 47% in 2020 to 67% in 2025.

Elsewhere, Menarini adapted its approach for China by recognising the complementary relationship between Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in shingles treatment.

Rather than positioning one against the other, the company introduced an "East meets West" strategy combining global clinical standards with locally trusted practices.

The initiative culminated in the "Blue book project", developed alongside medical societies to standardise treatment protocols using real-world data. Today, the programme has been implemented across more than 600 hospitals, reaching over 2,000 healthcare professionals while generating more than 100 million media impressions.

Meanwhile, in cardiovascular disease, the company has focused less on consumer advertising and more on equipping doctors with stronger clinical evidence.

Lim pointed to HYIMPACT, a decentralised real-world study involving 1,765 patients across seven Asian markets, which aims to generate region-specific evidence that supports better treatment decisions while improving long-term patient adherence.

Trust remains healthcare's strongest currency

As healthcare increasingly moves online, influencer and KOL marketing has also become a growing part of the industry's communications mix.

According to Lim, healthcare professionals remain highly influential across APAC, particularly at the point of diagnosis. However, their role now extends beyond hospitals into pharmacies, e-commerce platforms and broader patient education.

"KOL-led engagement remains highly relevant, but its effectiveness depends on how well it is integrated across channels to support patients more holistically," she said.

Ultimately, while digital channels, AI and consumer expectations continue to evolve, Lim believes healthcare marketers cannot lose sight of the industry's core purpose.

Success, she said, comes from balancing scientific discipline with cultural understanding, using creativity not to simplify the science, but to make it more meaningful for the people whose lives depend on it.

Related articles: 
Stresstabs, GIGIL break pharma conventions with visualisation of worker stress
Why CARiNG Pharmacy is making women’s health an everyday priority 
Pepsodent turns Dracula's missing fangs into a gum health warning