Industry Agency Relationships

PM Society’s Pharmony Summit 2026 Report Launched

On 9 June, more than 130 people from pharmaceutical companies, agencies, procurement teams and industry organisations came together at 1 Wimpole Street for the PM Society’s Pharmony Summit 2026.

Advancing Standards, Together: PM Society 2025 Impact Report

Released at a pivotal moment for UK healthcare marketing, Advancing Standards, Together reflects a sector moving decisively toward measurable impact, clearer professional standards and stronger operating discipline.

The AI amplifier can cut both ways

Authored by Mark Wheeler PM Society Pharma partner and IARIG member. The slop problem There is a version of the AI-and-creativity…

How do you nail the media brief for HCP engagement?

Steve Simmonds and Ram Patel explore the subject. A successful paid media campaign aimed at HCPs, should put the creative agency’s work, in the…

The End of the Old Normal: Re-evaluating Client–Agency Partnerships in Pharma

As the typical client–agency relationship has completely evolved in recent years, we are keen to understand what makes a great…

The Value Problem: Moving from Chemistry to Credibility

Authored by Patrick Kearns and Paul Hutchings, PM Society IARIG working group “Value” is one of the most frequently used,…

The PM Society Launches Pharmony

The PM Society Launches Pharmony to Support More Effective Pharma-Agency Collaboration Today we announced the launch of Pharmony, a new…

A challenge unearthed — and a chance to shape the future

At the recent PM Society Summit, one issue stood out: if marketing, communications and medical affairs are to continue driving…

Procurement Strategies Guide

The Industry Agency Relationships Interest Group has been working on a guide to procurement in pharma marketing and communications for over a year.

First pharma signatory of the Pitch Positive Pledge!

The PM Society is pleased to announce that Consilient Health is the first pharma company in the UK to sign the Pitch Positive Pledge!

How does the industry look in 2024? – perspectives from the PM Society Interest Group

The PM Society’s Industry-Agency Relationships interest group’s most recent meeting involved discussions around the challenges our members have seen over the last 12 months and what 2024 look like for them.

Are we in need of a new procurement professional’s Guide to the Galaxy?

This article discusses the procurement guide ‘wisest of tomes, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, and if we’re in need of a new procurement professional’s guide.

Survey Results 2021

In 2021 we conducted a survey to understand the stance within the industry in relation to diversity and inclusion. The…

When two worlds collide

(Findings and insights from the PM Society survey on virtual meetings and pitches) You might describe bringing agencies and clients…

Everything is the same and everything is different

(Findings and insights from the PM Society survey on virtual meetings and pitches) Why don’t we start with a quote…

How to run an agency appraisal

In some recent research, conducted by the PM Society, when clients were asked how they currently assess ways of working…

Webinar: Virtual Pitching: A Perspective from Procurement – event report

Virtual Pitching: A Perspective from Procurement Wednesday, 3rd February 2021 We had a strong turnout from industry and agencies for…

Top 10 tips for virtual pitching

Before March very few pitches were ever done by video conference. After lockdown ALL of them were done this way. …

Pitches, feedback and a missed opportunity

Whichever way you look at it the heat just got turned up. Whether you look at it from a social,…

PM Society Pitch Practice Survey 2019

Background This survey on Pitch practice was run in 2019 by the PM Society’s Industry-Agency Relationships Interest Group (IARIG) led…

Webinar: Industry engagement post COVID-19 – event report

Pharma engagement with HCPs and patients during and after the COVID-19 crisis Wednesday 3rd June Industry and agency experts attended…

Setting your agency partnership up for success (or not…?)

Selecting your new agency partner is often a long process and there’s a sense of relief once you have made…

How do you know you are choosing the right agency team?: The Art of Gemba

In my 11 years in pharma marketing, I have been involved in many agency pitches. Often the agency was chosen…

Think twice before you call a pitch

Every client/agency relationship has its ups and downs. There’ll inevitably be points of frustration along the way, where you might…

The cost of pitching and the size of the prize

Recent research conducted by the PM Society revealed that 61% of agencies spend over £15,000 in internal agency time for…

Maximising the agency & procurement relationship – part II: Meeting Report

The ‘Maximising the agency & procurement relationship – part II: New models for pitching in the 20s’ event took place…

Running a Successful Pitch

10 Top Tips Consider whether you need a pitch at all: Pitching is expensive for everyone. Could one of your…

How long do agencies need to develop their best pitch?

In the recent survey on pitch practice conducted by the PM Society, agencies and clients commissioning work in healthcare communications…

What’s the secret behind a strong Client/Agency partnership?

What’s the magic formula that makes some clients and agencies click, while others collide rather unsuccessfully and before you know…