Marketing professionals meet AI: enhancing learning in pharmaceutical and health product companies
Salminen, Satu (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024102126614
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024102126614
Tiivistelmä
The digital transformation era has created a need to enhance the power of AI in marketing. However, the technology implementation process needs to be supported in organizations. Notably, employees' perceptions towards AI influence their motivation to use new AI tools. In pharmaceutical and health product companies, regulatory compliance can bring additional challenges in AI technology implementation. AI can offer several benefits to organizations, such as economic benefits, skill augmentation, work process support, time savings, and improved communication in the work community.
The aim of this master thesis was to investigate the current relationship between marketing professionals and AI in pharmaceutical and health product companies. This thesis reports on how AI is used currently, how AI skills are developed, what are the perceptions towards AI, and how learning environment impacts AI skill development. The empirical data was collected with seven semi-structured theme interviews during April 2024. All seven informants work in marketing roles in different organizations. The first part of theoretical background covers the basic concepts of AI and aspects of AI maturity. The second part of the theory provides an overview of individual and organizational AI readiness management.
The findings of the current study show that the usage of AI in work among informants is wide, from early adopters to nonusers. However, all informants were building their AI skills independently or with their employer’s support. All marketers were motivated in developing their AI skills further and assessed that the usage of AI will increase in future. The variety of skill levels in the marketing department can bring challenges when technology is implemented into work practices. Informants stated that they expect their employers to organize localized AI trainings targeted to marketers who work with pharmaceuticals and health products. Moreover, they expected concrete possibilities to share learnings and test AI tools in practice.
This research provides three insights on how pharmaceutical and health product companies can support AI implementation in marketing department. First, by providing basic AI knowledge and guidelines for all employees. Second, by supporting learning and skill development with tangible actions. Third, by enhancing knowledge sharing and collaboration to get everyone involved in the transformation process. Future research could examine the perceptions towards AI in pharmaceutical and health product companies with quantitative methods to expand the study population to cover a wider range of marketers.
The aim of this master thesis was to investigate the current relationship between marketing professionals and AI in pharmaceutical and health product companies. This thesis reports on how AI is used currently, how AI skills are developed, what are the perceptions towards AI, and how learning environment impacts AI skill development. The empirical data was collected with seven semi-structured theme interviews during April 2024. All seven informants work in marketing roles in different organizations. The first part of theoretical background covers the basic concepts of AI and aspects of AI maturity. The second part of the theory provides an overview of individual and organizational AI readiness management.
The findings of the current study show that the usage of AI in work among informants is wide, from early adopters to nonusers. However, all informants were building their AI skills independently or with their employer’s support. All marketers were motivated in developing their AI skills further and assessed that the usage of AI will increase in future. The variety of skill levels in the marketing department can bring challenges when technology is implemented into work practices. Informants stated that they expect their employers to organize localized AI trainings targeted to marketers who work with pharmaceuticals and health products. Moreover, they expected concrete possibilities to share learnings and test AI tools in practice.
This research provides three insights on how pharmaceutical and health product companies can support AI implementation in marketing department. First, by providing basic AI knowledge and guidelines for all employees. Second, by supporting learning and skill development with tangible actions. Third, by enhancing knowledge sharing and collaboration to get everyone involved in the transformation process. Future research could examine the perceptions towards AI in pharmaceutical and health product companies with quantitative methods to expand the study population to cover a wider range of marketers.