An Eye Toward the Future: Insights from the 2023 PulsePoint Client & Strategy Summit

A week later, we’re still on an adrenaline high from the two-day PulsePoint Client & Strategy Summit on July 31 and August 1.

The first day of the summit was an internal business planning review for PulsePoint. We celebrated our recent big launches, including integrated DTC measurement with Komodo Health and EHR integration on the HCP side of the business. And Ezra Suveyke, our Chief Technology Officer, unveiled the exciting future vision for the PulsePoint platform. While we can’t say much about it just yet, we’re excited that it’s integrated, sophisticated, flexible, and delivers what clients want—not just today but with an eye to tomorrow.

The second day of the summit was hugely enlightening, thanks to the participation of our partners and clients on panels throughout the day. Here’s a high-level recap of our six client panels:

Identity & Privacy: Succeeding in a Changing Marketing Ecosystem

Konrad Gerszke, EVP, Growth Platforms and Markets, Internet Brands, moderated panelists Tyler Lohse, Assistant General Counsel, WebMD, Greg Dreifus, SVP, Programmatic, CMI Media Group, and Anudit Vikram, General Manager, CPO, Intentsify, through a conversation about the changing data privacy landscape and where we are headed.

All panelists agreed that among the many approaches to identity resolution, deterministic first-party data is the gold standard. It comes directly from the source, gives us more reliable data, and enables better measurement. (While cookies will always be credited with opening up a world of utility for marketers, we were never quite sure of the accuracy of what we were getting.) As the industry strives to get better first-party data and do more with it, we should remember that our consumers and HCPs want value, and our sponsoring brand clients want transparency.

Data Collaboration for a Modern Marketing Framework

Three core partners, Jonathan Zile, SVP, Data Solutions, PulsePoint, Natalie Mancuso, Market Strategy & Innovation Lead, Digital, Komodo, and Ted Sweetser, Director, Sales Success, PurpleLab, participated on a panel about data partnerships moderated by Amy Fieber, Director, Product Marketing, PulsePoint. Among the many reasons why data collaboration is important, participants agreed that partners enable us to take data and do more valuable things with it! When discussing how to pick the best data partners, Natalie offered that the ideal partners look at data and don’t ask what is but instead ask what could be.

Identity-Powered TV Advertising and Measurement

A fireside chat between Malcolm Halle, VP, Strategic Accounts, PulsePoint, and one of PulsePoint’s most strategic clients, Glenniss Richards, Sr. Director, Digital Media Activation, Bayer, focused on the ins and outs of targeting cord cutters programmatically on addressable TV. The bottom line: Don’t get bogged down by channel; instead, target the right audience on every channel you can, then let the data do the work to optimize your media buy.

Transform Marketing Attribution Through HCP Identity

Not simple territory to navigate, Chris Neuner, CSO, PulsePoint, along with panelists Will McGowan, Data Strategy, CatalystIQ, Stacy Trent, Sr. Director, Engagement Data & Campaign Management, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Matt Gann, Director, Enterprise Media, Novartis, started by landing on a definition of attribution: “Knowing instead of guessing.” Specifically, marketers want to know which NPIs they’re reaching, what those NPIs are interested in, and when they last interacted with the brand. And they want access to this knowledge as soon as possible—not in three months when it’s useless.

Voice of the Customer

In this panel, Keith Matt, VP, Sales, PulsePoint, was able to ask PulsePoint’s agency clients Christie Volke, VP, Media Strategy, AbelsonTaylor, Jay de la Cruz, SVP, Global Media, Underscore, Jeff Gores, Sr. Partner, Omnichannel Transformation Strategist, Wavemaker, and Lori Goldberg, CEO, Silverlight Digital, the questions that keep us up at night. A few highlights:

• What do clients love about PulsePoint? Instead of selling, we’re always asking, “What if we could do ___ for you?”
• Why do clients choose to work with a health-specific DSP? For access to high-quality HCP data, high-quality health audiences, no campaign minimums (this is relevant for small rare disease drugs), and competitive tools.
• How do clients select a DSP? It’s all about performance. They start by understanding the data infrastructure, then move to a pilot, test, and validate stage. They get insights that they use to personalize a larger campaign and get to script lift. If positive, they move forward.

Accelerating Digital Transformation Through Partnerships

Last but not least, Kallie Carter, Sr. Director, Head – Omnichannel Marketing, Eisai, Damon Basch, VP, Strategic Partnerships, Veradigm, and Dave Leitner, Managing Director, Media, Klick Health, joined Maria Simeone, VP, Marketing, PulsePoint, to talk about what makes a great partnership. In a spirited discussion about what makes a great partner (versus a vendor), the panel agreed that the best client partnerships are mutual. There’s open communication. Each partner thinks ahead to anticipate the other’s needs. And there is a willingness to work through the dips.

That’s a wrap on the 2023 PulsePoint Client & Strategy Summit! If you missed the event, you can watch the panel sessions HERE. We are so thankful to all our partners and clients for sharing their perspectives on some of the biggest challenges facing pharma marketing today. With these insights combined with PulsePoint’s smart and strategic product plan, we have so much to look forward to.