With over 10 years in pharma marketing and four years at Takeda, Cari’s expertise covers everything from digital campaign design to multichannel planning, analytics, and leading cross-functional teams. Her goal is simple: making content flow more efficiently through organizations to better support healthcare professionals—and ultimately, patients.
In this expert interview, Cari shares her thoughts on how to drive successful global content strategies in pharma.
What challenges have you seen with global content strategies?
CM: Historically, driving content top-down from global teams has been a challenge. Content created at that top [global] level often doesn’t lend itself to ‘reuse’ and necessary approvals for every country—each has its own unique needs, whether due to compliance, regulatory requirements, or cultural differences.
At Takeda, we’ve found more success by focusing on country-level initiatives. We focus on creating content that can be developed locally but also shared more broadly. This is where we're seeing our greatest opportunities.
The goal is to design content that works across markets, rather than producing something in a proverbial ‘ivory tower’ and expecting it to fit everywhere
The goal is to design content that works across markets, rather than producing something in a proverbial ‘ivory tower’ and expecting it to fit everywhere. We’re evaluating whether the challenge is with our processes or the tools we use to support content creation and distribution. Right now, we’re assessing how to balance both. Ultimately, it’s not just about tools; it’s about rethinking processes across the organisation to ensure they support flexibility and scalability.
With that in mind, what’s the key to success to a global content strategy?
CM: I think success comes from being highly collaborative and finding new ways of working. It hasn’t come from trying to do the same things over and over and expecting a different outcome. We have found success by thinking outside the box and embracing the “fail fast” mindset. At Takeda, if something isn’t working, we accept it and move in another direction.
If you’re thinking about what physicians actually need, creating content is much easier
I think we've all worked in organisations that will just keep going and not accept failure. Instead, we're trying to figure out the best way to do things, while always keeping our eye on our main goal—doing what's right for our patients. At Takeda, this is at the centre of everything we do. I can, with my hand on my heart, say that if our content isn't going to be the right content for our physicians, then we stop what we're doing. This is really what's allowed us to move a little bit faster with the things that we're creating.
It all comes down to one question: Does the physician truly need this for their patient?
If you're only creating content for the purpose of a campaign and getting it out the door as quickly as possible, it’s going to be hard to make decisions. But if you’re thinking about what physicians actually need, it’s much easier.
At the end of the day, while we’re certainly driven by processes and deliverables, it all comes down to one question: Does the physician truly need this for their patient? If the answer is no, then no matter how great the campaign is, it’s an easy decision to stop. It’s about staying focused on what really matters and being willing to pivot when something doesn’t serve its purpose.
What are the biggest internal roadblocks to achieving content excellence?
CM: Mindset can be a huge roadblock. People need to think about the teams they work with and whether they’re stuck thinking: “This is the way I've always done it”, or “I don't want to look at what other countries are doing because we do it this way”. Shifting this mindset is always a challenge.
But I think the biggest roadblock is finding a system that allows you to create or co-create content and share it, as well as one that integrates with your tech stack. Then, even with that, the next challenge is finding the willingness to implement and grow this system across a global organisation.
The biggest roadblock is finding a system that allows you to create or co-create content and share it
If you figure out something that works for your region, that doesn't mean it's going to work for other regions, such as the United States or Japan, Europe, and Canada. You have to think about how it will work beyond the borders in the way in which an international organisation is set up.
What can help marketing teams increase their maturity when it comes to content strategy?
CM: The ability to collaborate on content creation is a huge win. You have to be forward thinking in the way you want to do those things. And if you can jump on this mindset early, even the ability to
want to think about change is forward thinking. Once people start thinking: “Yes, we want to change”, then you're part of the way there. We're doing that now [at
Takeda] and I think that's what's allowing us to have that flexibility to change.
To increase your maturity level, you have to think big, and be patient at the same time. You don't need to boil the ocean all at once. And you need to have the right people at the table. You need to think about how people are going to be trained. We often find that if people are saying “no”, it can be simply attributed to their breadth of understanding. Be inclusive; be transparent, and start early on.
You have to think big and be patient at the same time. You don't need to boil the whole ocean at once
Every company is on their own journey when it comes to maturity. Each organisation adheres to different compliance restrictions, values, and processes. We're also bound by what's available from a technology perspective. At Takeda, we’re trying to embrace content excellence from a data, digital, and technology perspective. We’re looking into how we can do that in a compliant way that allows us to service our physicians and ultimately support our patients. As much as it is about content excellence, it's ultimately about serving our patients and supporting what we do.
You have to embrace the journey you're on and implement change at your own pace. Focus on identifying quick wins and recognise that some parts of your organisation may not be ready to move in a new direction just yet.
How do you measure content success at Takeda?
CM: For us at Takeda, content reuse is key—it’s the name of the game. If content can be effectively reused across countries or regions, it’s a win. We also focus on searchability and ensuring that all source files are available for others to adapt or recreate content. Efficiency is another critical metric.
Content becomes outdated quickly, so we’re mindful of how fast and flexibly we can produce and update it.
How do you improve collaboration between global and local content teams?
CM: We have a network in each country that identifies key individuals who act as champions for our initiatives. Some people might call them “Change Champions”. That’s not the word we use, but their role is similar—they share challenges, highlight successes, and help drive adoption locally.
Having these champions in place provides the opportunity to move quickly and expand our reach, leveraging their local expertise to support broader organisational goals. If you have people within each of those countries—those small pieces—it becomes a little bit easier to move faster and widen your reach in the process.
This requires a unified approach—consistent messaging and modular content adapted to how the company communicates as a whole. Brand coherence builds trust and supports cross-selling opportunities while staying compliant.
What do you think are the most exciting innovations in content excellence right now?
CM: The most obvious for us is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). We’re evaluating where we can and cannot use it, who can use it, how it can be used, and we’re setting up fully-dedicated teams to provide a data, digital, and technology perspective on AI. Though, obviously, there are legal and ethical components involved. Modular content is also very much applicable.
