March 2026

Welcome to the March edition of the Marketing Ops Monthly which includes the latest on best practices, knowledge sharing and system/process updates for our global and regional sales and marketing colleagues.
 
Let others know what is working! If you have learnings or successes to share with the community, connect with us.

Have a question? Join our April Marketing Operations Monthly Spotlight

We look forward to having everyone join us on Wednesday, April 1 at 9am EDT for our Monthly Spotlight!

Agenda:

·    Scaling Reach and Results: How Automation Drove Campaign Success – Raina Singh

·    Introduction to MC&I AI Hub – Ketan Deshpande

·    Q&As

Register here to receive monthly invite.

Improving how we measure marketing impact: MEL & MQL updates

We’re evolving how we measure marketing impact to better reflect real engagement and true sales readiness. Longer term, this supports a broader shift toward influence, brand health, and business outcomes. In the near term, we’re refining the funnel to clearly separate early engagement from sales-ready demand. This update introduces Marketing Engaged Leads (MELs) and sharpens what qualifies as an MQL—helping ensure the right follow up at the right time.

Why this update

With greater focus on efficiency, consistency, and alignment with Sales—and new insight from the Marketing Performance Hub (MPH)—we’re tightening how leads are defined and managed to improve lead quality, customer experience, and funnel clarity.

What’s changing now

·    MQL checkboxes are being removed from virtual event and webinar registration forms

·    Campaign requests will now indicate whether they include MEL, MQL, or both

o  MQL CTAs: Sales ready actions (e.g., Contact Us, Request a Demo, Speak to Sales/Expert, Purchase)

o  MEL CTAs: Engagement actions (e.g., Download, Watch On Demand Demo, Read More, Visit Website)

o  Campaigns may include both when appropriate

 

What this means for you

When submitting campaigns, select the option that best reflects the customer’s intent and readiness—helping ensure the right follow up at the right time.

What’s next

·    Updates to campaign responses in Eloqua and Salesforce

·    MPH enhancements with new metrics and views

·    More details on the GMCC call (April 16, 10:30–11:30am EDT)

·    Dedicated open Q&A session

Website experiment results: Tabbed modules versus interactive Images

We recently completed an experiment on the Oncology page to compare engagement between an interactive image called a Ceros module and the same content presented in our native Tabbed modules. The test included 665 sessions over a three-month period.

The Tabbed module won and outperformed the ceros module. Users exposed to the Ceros version spent less time engaging with the content and clicked fewer times. In contrast, the Tabbed module nearly doubled time on page and drove significantly more clicks. 
 
Results at a glance: 

·    Ceros module: 970 total clicks; average time on page of 28 seconds 

·    Tabbed module: 1,398 total clicks; average time on page of 49 seconds

These findings reinforce the impact of simpler, native modules on user engagement. If you have any experiment ideas, you can submit them through our Website Request form.

Introducing new interactive website modules: Animated cards and animated backgrounds

We’re excited to announce the launch of two new modules to provide marketers new options to engage customers and tell more effective stories.

Animated Card Module

The Animated Card module supports 2–5 image cards across the width of the page. Hovering over each card triggers an animation that reveals additional text. This interactive format is ideal for highlighting related content, child pages, thought leadership, and key campaigns.

Animated Background Module

We’re also introducing a bold new Animated Background module, featuring full-bleed background video with content layered on top. 
 
The initial release supports: 

·    Title overlay (Rich text Titles)

·    50/50 modules 

·    Animated cards 

·    3 pill layout 

Don’t forget you can preview all available modules in the Module Gallery. 

Outlook email templates available (Windows & Mac)

Following questions raised during the recent GoIQ transition session, a reminder that IQVIA‑approved Outlook email templates are available for both Windows and Mac users. These templates help ensure consistent branding and formatting when creating newsletters and email communications..

Templates can be accessed via Brand World and used directly in Outlook to build and send your communications.

Resources:

·    Recording: The Global Communicators & Go IQ Publishers: Update Call recording can be found here.

·    Slide deck: Access the presentation here.

Using keywords effectively on the Google Display Network

On the Google Display Network, keywords help place your ads alongside relevant content—based on context, not search queries. Choosing the right keywords guides Google to show your ads across websites, apps, and videos that align with your audience’s interests.

 
Best practices:

·    Group keywords into clear, focused themes

·    Start broad, then refine using performance data

·    Combine keywords with audience targeting for stronger results

Quick examples of themed keyword groups (IQVIA.com):

·    Clinical Research: clinical trials, CRO services, decentralized trials

·    Real‑World Evidence: real‑world data, RWE analytics, outcomes research

·    Commercial & Market Access: market access strategy, pharma commercialization

·    Data & Analytics: healthcare data analytics, AI in life sciences

Well‑structured keyword themes improve contextual relevance and expand reach across the Display Network. For more details, read the full guidance on Google Support.

Interested in running Display campaigns or need help with keyword strategy? Submit our paid social intake form to get started.

March Monthly Spotlight recap

Don’t forget—previous Spotlight and Open Office Hours presentations are available here.

Refresh your skills or start your LEAN journey now with the art of facilitation

Great workshops are guided, not improvised. Skilled facilitators bring clarity, encourage every voice, and keep discussions focused and energized—turning ideas into action across in‑person and virtual sessions.

If you’re already facilitating, it’s time to sharpen your skills. If you’ve been thinking about leading a LEAN workshop, now’s the moment to start. With the right support, you can design meetings that truly deliver value.

Ready to take the next step? We’ve got resources, training, and support to help you succeed. Because great meetings don’t happen by chance, they happen by design, and you could be the designer.

Join us on The LEAN Channel and visit LEAN BPI&A for the latest news and helpful resources.

Internal tools, resources, and support

Links for Marketing operations tools, resources, and reports:

Benchmark Report	Coverage Report
NNC Report	Contact Us
Marketing Operations Toolbox	Marketing Performance Hub

 

Don't forget to join the Marketing Operations Spotlight on the first Wednesday of the month at 9am EDT if you have any questions! The next session is on April 1. You can register or pre-submit any questions/topic ideas through the Marketing Operations Toolbox.