Riggs:

Can you start by telling me more about your personal journey before launching solli?

Springham:

My career has always been within the health sector, starting in the National Health Service in the U.K., then moving into a creative agency, and eventually working my way up on the sales side within health publishers. About 10 years ago, I transitioned to the agency side and loved it. I initially worked at an independent agency then, in June 2021, I joined IPG to launch Initiative Health. This was an incredible opportunity to launch the ex-U.S. business of Initiative’s rapidly growing health media division. It was a brilliant journey, working with talented colleagues and developing the organization into a multimillion-dollar agency servicing over 70 markets for global pharmaceutical media clients, earning recognition as the best digital agency in the pharma industry. Although my time at IPG was fantastic, something else always nagged at me, which is why I chose to leave the safety of the holding company and launch the start-up solli.

Riggs:

Can you tell me more about why you decided to launch solli?

Springham:

As someone who believes in the power of media within marketing and the importance of strong marketing within pharma, I’ve always felt there was more the pharma industry could do with media. There are thousands of talented people in this space, as well as many inspiring and brilliant media campaigns from pharma brands. However, I felt this group has been historically underserved in terms of support to achieve their individual and collective goals within pharma media. Existing B2B platforms are either generalist pharma marketing platforms with a light touch on media or generalist media and marketing platforms with a light touch on pharma. The need lies in the middle. This is where we launched solli, to be a platform entirely focused on the pharma media industry, serving those working in it and collectively improving media practices within the pharma space.

Riggs:

Where do you think the biggest needs are? Are these consistent across the globe?

Springham:

There are consistent needs across the globe, but the details and nuances vary market by market. For example, there’s a consistent need to stay within regulations (though they vary), to balance performance marketing with brand building, and to understand more about HCPs’ media consumption in a compliant manner. However, the intricacies vary by market.

Solli is deliberately servicing the entire global pharma media market, approaching both U.S.-only needs and ex-U.S.-only needs. Being transparent and sharing across both geographical needs is crucial to serve the full spectrum of those working in the pharma media space, helping each other learn from talent, campaigns, and thought leadership across the globe.

Riggs:

How will you go about achieving these goals?

Springham:

We have built a new platform, solli.global, to house news, resources, and training to bring the pharma media industry together in one place. Our audience knows they will always find relevant content to push themselves and their peers forward. Besides written and video content on the site, we are embarking on an ambitious journey of providing training resources for pharma clients, agencies, publishers, and tech companies alike. Our aim is for solli to become the catalyst for raising the practice and role of media across the entire pharma industry in the years to come.

Riggs:

How has the platform been received since its launch?

Springham:

It has been truly remarkable. Having worked in this industry for over a decade, I knew there was a need, and many in my network agreed in our prelaunch researching phase. But you never really know how the market will respond until you launch. Thankfully, since our launch on May 14, 2024, it has been an incredible growth story. Within the first few weeks, we had over 10,000 views on the platform, partnered with several incredible industry-leading companies, and have consistently received positive feedback about how our content is impacting people’s work in the space. We are already planning the next phase of solli’s story, with more to come in Q4 and into 2025!