PulsePoint’s Trader Hall of Fame:

Kyle Noden

We are proud to partner with hardworking clients who are pushing the boundaries of programmatic and putting the right medications in front of HCPs and patients at the right time. PulsePoint established the Trader Hall of Fame to highlight their efforts and give others a closer look at the individuals shaping this quickly evolving industry. This month, we welcome Kyle Noden, programmatic associate at SSCG Media Group, to the Trader Hall of Fame.

Kyle’s journey to programmatic healthcare marketing

Kyle’s career path is the epitome of a pivot. Kyle spent the first 13 years of his career working as a telemetry tech in an inpatient cardiology unit. As a monitor tech, he interpreted cardiac rhythms to help healthcare providers make diagnoses. So how did he end up in programmatic?

Kyle, a first-generation American, credits his mother (Josephine) who emigrated from Sicily and became an X-ray technician, with sparking his passion for pursuing a career in healthcare. Kyle says she “always steered my brothers and I toward stability, always having a job.” That meant working in healthcare, an industry where he felt he could not only have stability but also be able to help people—a compassionate and caring mindset he’s developed and maintained through the years.

In his late 20s, Kyle returned to Rutgers New Brunswick where he earned a degree in information technology and informatics. “I’ve always been fascinated by tech, whether it’s software, whether it’s physical technology, it’s always intrigued me,” he said. 

Upon graduation, he thought, How can I transition from a hospital setting into a field that incorporates both healthcare and technology? Kyle was certain he wanted something collaborative; the ability to engage with people and learn something new on a daily basis was important to him. After considering the many available options, Kyle knew programmatic healthcare marketing was the perfect career path for him, one that closely aligned with his personal goals.  

Kyle’s favorite parts of the job

Kyle has been at SSCG for almost three years now—and said he has loved every minute of it. “With this job, I feel like I get challenged every day, and there’s something new every day.”

“It’s exactly where I wanted to be,” he added. “I really feel like I’ve settled in a field where I can excel and I can get a lot of fulfillment and enjoyment out of doing it every single day.”

Kyle dreamed of a collaborative workplace and found it at SSCG. He said he appreciates the team mindset and opportunity to combine strengths and shine together. “I don’t think any company is built off of just one person. No one person’s success is gonna define our end goal. It takes that collaborative effort; it takes that teamwork.”

After experiencing first hand the uniquely stressful experience of working in a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyle now greatly appreciates having a flexible schedule that gives him the freedom to work from home and set his own pace.

Kyle’s advice for newcomers to programmatic health marketing

Kyle recognizes how difficult it can be to ask questions for newcomers, and he emphasized the importance of asking as many questions as possible. He also stressed the importance of utilizing your network and pushing yourself to learn new things. Every mistake or misstep can become a chance for growth. “It sounds weird, but I don’t mind being wrong because I know it’s an opportunity for me to learn something and become right.”! 

Kyle recommends talking to people outside of your core team. Talk to leads, pick their brains, and make sure to always reach out to the other people in different teams and departments. Doing so requires letting go of any personal fear of failure. “No one gets experience without failing first,” he said. 

Back when he started his first job at the age of 14, Kyle received advice from his older cousin, one of his mentors, that has stuck with him for years. They quoted the words of the visionary Benjamin Franklin: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” 

This quote continues to remind Kyle to always be working toward health, financial stability, and wisdom. That might not literally mean waking up early, but instead making sure that he’s giving himself the time he needs to learn something, do something, or engage with something or someone new.

Kyle and PulsePoint

Kyle has worked with PulsePoint since he first started at SSCG, and from day one has strongly connected with the PulsePoint team’s mission and culture of caring. “We’re not here just for money. We’re not here just to advertise,” he said. “We’re here to make a change and an impact on people’s lives.”

Kyle understands that putting a programmatic ad in front of someone may seem like a small thing, but he also knows it could be the one thing that helps them learn how to take better care of themselves. “You can sense the compassion behind it and the empathy, and your team really just defines that,” he added.

In the PulsePoint platform, he said he loves the ease of the real-time dashboard and 1:1 NPI reports. The ability to quickly pull that level of data, which is unique among DSPs, is one of his favorite pieces of the equation.

“The one-to-one reporting is very important to me because sometimes I need to be able to pull that level of data in an instance, and the ability to have that within a few minutes is amazing. It’s not something that everybody else offers.”

“I’m really in the platform if you can’t tell. I’m hands-on, in it every single day,” he said. “Your team listens to us, and they take our advice and they bring it back to the ops team and the platform team and they really implement changes so we have the best-running DSP that we could possibly be on.”

Kyle also said he appreciates the way the platform is constantly being updated as the programmatic landscape changes. “Your team is always so up to date on new technology and offerings that for the most part, before we even flag something that we’d like to see, it’s coming in an update.”

Kyle outside of work

Kyle calls central New Jersey home, and as an outdoors enthusiast, he is grateful to live so close to the shore. “It’s where I grew up. It’s ingrained in the fibers of who I am, so I love spending time outside at the beach. I love riding my bike close to the beach,” he said.

When you care deeply about what you do, it can be hard to separate work from hobbies. Kyle always tries to turn the switch off on Fridays to fully commit to spending time with his family. Kyle prioritizes this quality time off with his family, and he enjoys “doing new things with them or doing old things with them. Spending time, having new conversations, and retelling old stories. Family and friends are my main focus outside of work.”

He also enjoys music, movies, and entertainment in general. In his free time, Kyle will often be found at concerts, riding his bike, or hanging out with his two nephews.