Creating peer-to-peer congress that changes clinical practice

Merck wanted to build a community of oncologists and urologists around their bladder cancer programme, but they had a problem every pharma company faces: how do you make a medical congress that doesn't just inform, but actually transforms clinical practice? We helped them design the first truly omnichannel peer-to-peer flagship event that positioned participants as pioneers whilst delivering measurable impact on patient care.

01 The Challenge

One of Merck's oncology brands was initiating a strategic peer-to-peer programme aimed at building a community of oncologists and urologists. The goal was ambitious: share the latest scientific developments and position participants as pioneers in communicating key trial insights.

But the team faced a fundamental challenge in designing a truly omnichannel experience to bring the programme to life across the customer journey. Most pharma congresses are one-and-done affairs. Attendees show up, listen to presentations, collect their CME credits, and go back to practising medicine exactly as they did before. Merck wanted something different \- a programme that would create lasting engagement and genuine clinical impact.

The real challenge wasn't just designing an event. It was creating an experience that would continue to deliver value long after the last session ended.

02 How We Approached It

We designed the end-to-end customer experience journey for the programme, with clear and coordinated touchpoints across the pre-, during-, and post-congress phases. This wasn't about adding digital bells and whistles to a traditional congress format. It was about fundamentally reimagining how medical professionals engage with new science.

Our approach leveraged available technologies to create a seamless and engaging experience, and we developed a robust data strategy to enable meaningful engagement and continuous optimisation. We supported the initiative with visual identity and branding to ensure consistency and impact across all channels.

The key insight was treating this as a peer-to-peer community programme rather than a traditional pharma-sponsored event. Every touchpoint was designed to position participants as pioneers and thought leaders, not passive recipients of corporate messaging.

03 What Made It Special

Most medical congresses focus on information transfer. We focused on community building and clinical transformation. The omnichannel approach meant engagement didn't start and end with the live event \- it created ongoing connections and conversations that extended the impact far beyond the congress dates.

The data strategy allowed for meaningful personalisation and continuous optimisation, ensuring that every participant received relevant content and connections that matched their specific interests and clinical practice needs.

04 The Reality

The first flagship event was successfully delivered in May 2025, bringing the programme vision to life and laying the foundation for sustained engagement. The results proved the approach worked:

• 250 healthcare professionals attended the inaugural event

• 0% ranked their overall experience as 'Excellent'

• 84% said they were 'Very Likely' to make changes to their clinical practice based on the event's sessions

• Sustainable engagement programme established with ongoing support and momentum building

• Community of practice created around bladder cancer treatment innovations

We continue to support the initiative, driving momentum and enhancing the experience as the peer-to-peer programme evolves.