Insights on Data-Driven Transformation in Healthcare Marketing

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DHC Group recently brought together five thought leaders as part of its Data Innovation Roundtable Series to discuss the most exciting innovations they’re seeing as we say goodbye to 2024, as well as their predictions for the future of programmatic in 2025. Moderated by DHC Group’s Mark Bard, the roundtable covered everything from solutions for democratizing data to the potential of AI for the industry.

Read on for our top-level takeaways from these industry leaders:

• Jonathan Zile, VP, Data & Analysis, PulsePoint
• Jose Ferreira, EVP, Product Strategy and Transformation, CMI Media Group
• Robert Caprara, Chief Data Scientist, The Deerfield Agency
• Shane Mayer, SVP and Managing Director, EVERSANA INTOUCH
• Glenniss Richards, Digital Media Lead, Bayer

Missed the roundtable but still want to watch it on demand? View the full recording here. 

What’s new and exciting in data?

The panel began on a high note with each panelist discussing the top three things they’re most excited about when it comes to data. PulsePoint’s Jonathan Zile discussed operability, access, and optimization. “The things we’ve dreamed about are starting to come true,” Jonathan said. New dashboards and APIs are democratizing access to data and making it easier than ever for more people to analyze it and make precise optimizations.

CMI Media Group’s Jose Ferreira said he has high hopes for predictive triggers. He’s excited to see new capabilities that allow marketers to collect data sets showing HCP and consumer eligibility for certain products weeks ahead of time, allowing for proactive optimization and changing how marketers communicate on a message-by-message level.

It’s impossible to talk about predictive data without bringing up artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Shane Mayer of EVERSANA INTOUCH said they are doing exciting things with AI and machine learning to analyze data and develop audience narratives, as well as automate strategic inputs that were typically done manually.

While the potential impact of AI in marketing is high, AI and machine learning applications are only as good as the data, Robert Caprara, from The Deerfield Agency, added. He also stressed the importance of building strong data infrastructure and ensuring that any data collected is as accessible and actionable as possible.

Coming from the client side of things, Bayer’s Glenniss Richards mentioned the importance of data safeguards when it comes to consumer privacy and transparency—as well as making sure all of their partners are complying with data privacy recommendations.

Are there gaps between where we are and where we want to go? What needs to change to get us there?

Robert explored how unmet needs from mid-tier pharma companies can represent a valuable opportunity for data and agency partners. These organizations might not be able to make large investments in data—presenting an opportunity for a new economic model where data providers and partners are teaming up to give smaller pharma organizations access to the data they need to make campaign decisions. 

Several of the panelists brought up the difficulty of breaking down silos or fragmented decision-making processes within organizations. Shane argued that to streamline approval chains, there must be a shift from approving each piece of content to approving overarching business rules and governance applications. He envisions a framework that breaks everything down into rapid results and use cases, identifying high-value uses and connecting them for rapid results and big gains.

Glenniss agreed that in some cases there needs to be a shift in culture to effectively break down silos within an organization. It’s about individuals being able to make quick decisions, she said, as well as ensuring there are stakeholders from different areas represented at the table, including media strategists, analysts, and others.

How can we “play nice” as different industry players? And how are these relationships changing?

Offering insights from different parts of the industry—from media agencies and data providers to tech partners and life science companies—the panelists were uniquely positioned to answer this question on industry collaboration.

Although Bayer owns its own data, Glenniss said there’s still an opportunity for agencies to advise brands as consultants. Shane brought up the importance of developing a generative culture among both client and partner relationships. How you communicate, he said, is a reflection of the way you value your partners. 

A few of the panelists mentioned that every company seems to have its own platform now, and centralization can be difficult because of that. Many companies also collect data, but not all of their data is the same; the trick to finding the right data provider is determining what kind of data you want and how you’re going to use it. There is a lot of data out there, Robert added, but with a higher demand for more niche or precise targeting, the goal is to focus on quality over quantity—or, specifically, data that is actionable.

Coming from a tech partner, or “platform of platforms,” Jonathan said PulsePoint’s goal when working with other industry stakeholders is to make it as easy as possible to facilitate collaboration for clients. To ensure processes are both seamless and scalable, PulsePoint always aims to build out functionality across an entire brand or agency.

What’s an industry superpower or game changer you’d like to see?

To wrap up the discussion, the panelists each shared the game-changing technologies and capabilities that they’d love to see in the industry going forward. Some of their wish-list items included:

• Universal customer tokenization: Some of healthcare marketers’ biggest challenges currently are blind spots in the health journey, walled gardens, and privacy concerns. To overcome these obstacles, Shane said he loves the concept of having a universal customer token that can be combined with differential privacy, enabling marketers to understand the complete health journey without violating customer privacy.
• Data democratization: Jonathan envisioned a future where data and analytical tools are available to more users, along with the ability to analyze any data at any level. While we’re getting close to that with AI, we aren’t there yet, he said. Users now are limited if they don’t already know what questions to ask. 
• Narrative journeys: Jose said that, as a natural storyteller, he believes in the power of a good story, and he’d love to see more personalized narratives being used to reach customers in a more authentic way. Marketers should be thinking about where and how they deliver a message so their audiences internalize it.

Concluding thoughts

As we look forward to the new year, there are many things to be excited about in the field of programmatic healthcare marketing. From new capabilities fueled by AI and machine learning to innovative approaches to reaching HCPs and patients with the information they need most, the PulsePoint team is excited to work alongside our industry partners and proud to be at the forefront of the future of programmatic healthcare marketing.

Let’s get in touch! Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated or reach out to the team at info@pulsepoint.com. 

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