Pharmaceutical Technology Excellence Awards 2024: IFF Pharma Solutions

Delve into the strategic vision of IFF Pharma Solutions as Dr. Angela Strzelecki, President of IFF Pharma Solutions, shares insights on their award-winning "Timing is Everything" campaign, leadership in controlled release technologies, and unwavering commitment to sustainability. Learn how IFF Pharma Solutions is navigating industry challenges, fostering strategic partnerships, and driving innovation to maintain their leadership position in the ever-evolving pharmaceutical landscape.

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: Thank you! Winning the Marketing Award for Brand Leadership is a tremendous honor for IFF Pharma Solutions. This recognition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence in the pharmaceutical industry. Our "Timing is Everything" campaign, which highlights our controlled release platform, has been instrumental in showcasing our dedication to providing high-quality solutions that meet our customers' needs.

This award aligns with our company's vision of driving innovation and delivering value to our customers. By focusing on strategic marketing programs, creativity, and leadership, we have built a robust thought leadership platform that educates and informs the industry about the benefits of controlled release technologies. This recognition not only validates our efforts, but also inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of what's possible in pharmaceutical technology.

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: ​​​​​​​The inspiration behind the "Timing is Everything" campaign stemmed from our commitment to address the evolving needs of our customers. We recognized the importance of controlled release technologies in enhancing patient outcomes and wanted to create a campaign that effectively communicated these benefits. Our goal was to build an integrated thought leadership platform that would resonate with our target audience by providing valuable insights and solutions.

To ensure the campaign's approach resonated with our audience, we employed a three-pronged strategy that included a social media teaser countdown, engaging video content, and an informative microsite. This multi-faceted approach allowed us to capture the attention of our audience, provide them with relevant information, and foster meaningful engagement. By focusing on storytelling and cohesive branding, we were able to create a campaign that truly connected with our customers and highlighted the value of our controlled release platform. I would be remiss if I did not mention the creativity and brainpower of our Communications, Commercial Marketing, Strategic Marketing and Application Development and Innovation teams who collaborated to deliver impactful messaging.

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: For decades, controlled release has been at the heart of our expertise. With trusted products, such as METHOCEL™ hypromellose, ETHOCEL™ ethylcellulose, POLYOX™ (polyethylene oxide), and Protanal® alginates, we have consistently provided the pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries with the functionality they require. Our renowned scientists, who are experts in process technology, polymer science, formulation, and structure-property relationships, form the backbone of our innovation efforts.

We are known for our innovation, and this will not change. Industry trends are shifting toward challenging actives that require unique material properties from manufactured dosage forms in order to consistently achieve controlled release. This is where our polymer (or excipient) expertise is used in close collaboration and partnership with our customers. We see growth in biologics and a push to make oral delivery of medications more accessible for patients. Our future innovations will tackle these key challenges, as well as low nitrite product launches, and we are excited to share them with the world!

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: ​​​​​​​Thought leadership and strategic public relations have been crucial to our success, and we plan to continue leveraging these elements in our future marketing strategies. As the industry evolves, we aim to deepen our engagement with our audience through more personalized and interactive content. This includes expanding our digital presence with webinars, social media, and other virtual customer platforms that provide valuable insights and foster meaningful discussions, ensuring we provide answers at every turn.

We also plan to enhance our storytelling approach, focusing on practical applications and case studies that highlight the impact of our innovations. By maintaining a strong presence in industry publications and participating in key conferences, we will continue to position IFF Pharma Solutions as a trusted thought leader. Our goal is to build lasting relationships with our stakeholders and drive conversations that shape the future of the pharmaceutical industry in delivery formats.

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: Overcoming challenges related to corporate identity as a result of divestiture and acquisition activity and digital presence required a comprehensive and strategic approach. We began by conducting a thorough brand audit to understand our strengths and areas of improvement. This directed our efforts, which included updating our visual identity, refining our brand messaging, and ensuring consistency across all touch points.

To enhance our digital presence, we invested in a robust digital marketing strategy that included revamping our website, optimizing it for search engines, and increasing our activity on social media platforms. We also focused on creating high-quality, engaging content that resonated with our audience and showcased our expertise.

Additionally, we prioritized building a strong community by actively engaging with our followers and participating in industry discussions. By leveraging data analytics, we were able to track our progress and make informed decisions to continuously improve our digital strategies.

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: We measured success through key performance indicators (KPIs) including an increase in the opportunity pipeline for controlled release, the creation of additional leads through our website, targeted in-person customer seminars showcasing our controlled release expertise, as well as leads generated at tradeshows featuring our controlled release solutions.

Our team leverages data-driven insights to guide strategic decisions and measure success by closely monitoring these KPIs. We utilize advanced analytics tools to track and analyze customer interactions across various touchpoints. This allows us to understand customer behavior, preferences, and engagement levels. By analyzing this data, we gain insights, improve our marketing strategies, and adjust our messaging to better connect with our target audience.

Additionally, we assess the effectiveness of our campaigns and make data-informed adjustments as needed. This iterative approach ensures that we continuously improve our strategies and achieve our desired outcomes. Ultimately, our goal is to create meaningful and impactful customer experiences that drive engagement and foster long-term relationships.

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: IFF Pharma Solutions is working on embedding sustainability in all aspects of our work, including innovation. We balance innovation with sustainability by integrating green chemistry principles and circular design into our R&D and manufacturing processes. Our focus is on developing excipients that enhance drug delivery while minimizing environmental impact, such as our recently launched low nitrite excipients and ultrapure alginate biopolymers.

Our commitment to IFF’s "Do More Good Plan" outlines ambitious 2030 sustainability targets, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting regenerative ecosystems. We also collaborate with suppliers and environmental organizations to ensure sustainable sourcing and practices. By aligning our innovation investments and goals with sustainability targets, we are ensuring the future of excipients is both effective and environmentally responsible.

This approach helps us meet the expectations of our customers and enables us to maintain leadership in the industry while contributing to a healthy future for all.

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: The pharmaceutical industry is indeed facing a dynamic landscape with both significant challenges and opportunities. Navigating the complex and ever-changing regulatory environment is an ongoing challenge and area of focus for our teams. Ensuring compliance with global standards across our manufacturing and distribution sites, and supporting our customers’ compliance activities, requires a commitment to high standards and a dedication to excellence. This commitment, supported by strong technical capabilities, and our focus on ensuring business continuity and the safety and quality of our products are often differentiators for why pharmaceutical customers want to work with us.

There is a growing emphasis on sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry. Environmentally-friendly processes and products must meet regulatory requirements and appeal to customers who are making visible commitments to sustainability like the Science Based Targets Initiative. Our focus on sustainability aligns with our "answers at every turn" brand positioning, as we strive to provide solutions that are both innovative and environmentally responsible.

Overall, while the challenges are significant, the opportunities for innovation and growth in the pharmaceutical industry are even more promising. By leveraging our expertise and commitment to excellence, we are well-positioned to navigate these challenges and seize the opportunities ahead. Our dedication to providing answers at every turn ensures that we remain a trusted partner for our customers, helping them achieve their goals and drive positive outcomes in the industry.

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: Collaboration is a cornerstone of our strategy. We approach building and maintaining strategic partnerships by fostering open communication and mutual trust. We work closely with partners who share our vision and values to help them to achieve common goals. This involves regular engagement through joint initiatives such as webinars, media outreach, and industry events.

We also prioritize transparency and alignment of objectives to ensure that all parties benefit from the collaboration. By leveraging each partner's strengths and expertise, we can create synergies that drive innovation and deliver value to our customers. Our approach is to build long-term relationships that are based on mutual respect and a shared commitment to excellence.

Dr. Angela Strzelecki: Our key priority is to continue being the premier excipient partner for our customers. We accomplish this by listening to our customers and by focusing on our longer-term strategy which includes enhancing the customer experience. By having a direct and cross-functional relationship with our customers, we can serve them quickly and provide them direct access to our polymer and application expertise, helping them innovate faster and win in the marketplace.

We continue to invest in advanced technologies and capabilities at our plants, in our laboratories, and across all of our functions. By investing in advanced technologies like AI and data analytics, we have enhanced R&D, improved our manufacturing processes, and streamlined our customer relationship management and knowledge management systems.

Fostering a culture of collaboration within the organization and with external partners can lead to more innovative solutions and better problem-solving, driving both productivity and creativity. Lastly, we are committed to continuous improvement. Regularly assessing and refining strategies, processes, and products to stay ahead of industry trends and reliably meet customer demands has been a hallmark of our success throughout our legacy and will continue to be critical for us in the future. By prioritizing these areas, IFF Pharma Solutions can maintain its leadership position in the industry while continuing to deliver exceptional value to its customers.