Recapping MediaPost’s Brand Insider Summit
At the MediaPost Pharma and Health Summit in Bonita Springs, FL, engaging speakers and marketers tackled almost every facet of the pharmaceutical and health space — from how to address the disconnect between healthcare providers (HCPs) and their patients, to powering creativity in the wake of stringent regulation, and reaching qualified patients before they visit the doctor.
Adapting to Changing Patient Behaviors
The theme that underpinned so many conversations was that patient behaviors are changing and marketers need to adapt. We learned that 56% of patients conduct online research before visiting the doctor, and 32% believe they can diagnose themselves using internet-based research. There is a missed opportunity for brands to connect with patients in need during their exploratory phase, a time to encourage patients to activate and speak with their HCP.
Seizing Missed Opportunity for Patient Engagement
As every patient has a unique health journey, it can be difficult to discern when and where to reach users to drive disease awareness and conversation. This is made more complex by legal and privacy regulations, as well as the cookie deprecation, which seemingly limits the ability to target patients one-to-one. There is a need for marketers to understand their patient audiences and online behavior in a more nuanced manner while navigating within the bounds of privacy compliance. Though first-party data can certainly bolster targeting abilities, it is a challenge for brands to discern what is valuable within their data sets and how it can be effectively utilized.
Unlocking Solutions with Advanced AI Techniques
During our presentation, Cognitiv posed the thesis that some of these challenges can be solved via advanced AI techniques — surfacing the underlying confusion around what AI actually is, and how it can be leveraged without brands incurring risk. AI is an umbrella term encompassing a wide range of technologies, it’s important to understand the science behind the technology and “how” it is working to assess a solution’s validity and compliance. There was real excitement in the room around AI and leveraging its time-saving and performance capabilities, demonstrating the need for innovative techniques in the pharma and healthcare space.
What’s Next For Pharma Marketing
Adapting to a changing patient population is crucial, and pharmaceutical & health marketers will have to exercise creativity to cater to a one-to-one health journey. It’s essential for advanced AI solutions to be at the forefront, enabling personalization and privacy to work hand-in-hand to drive patient outcomes at scale.
It was a pleasure to attend this summit, and I look forward to the next opportunity! If you didn’t have the chance to connect with Cogntiv at MediaPost’s Brand Insider Summit, reach out to me at dswanson@cognitiv.ai or shoot me a message on LinkedIn and let’s talk.
