PHM Healthfront was an inspiring and thought-provoking conference centered on the patient as the key focus of every discussion. There was so much to do in a two-day event featuring 18 industry-focused sessions with popular health, media, and culture voices. 

I had a chance to see actress, model, entrepreneur Brooke Shields, actress, producer, advocate, and author Gabrielle Union-Wade, Commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League Jessica Berman, as well as the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Sasha Colby. These women energized the time between sessions with their stories about life, health, their experience as women, and the delicate nature of what it means to do business in healthcare. 

The Healthcare Journey 

In healthcare marketing, recognizing the deeply personal and emotional nature of an individual’s healthcare journey is key. Each person and their condition is a different path and story with a wide range of emotional weight. For marketers, we must continue to build a genuine connection between our messaging and media. Without connection, brands risk making statements that don’t resonate with patients during a vulnerable period in their human experience. 

I keep thinking about PHM President Amanda Palmer’s statement during her panel discussion with Brooke Shields: “Healthcare is the biggest community you never chose to join.” It’s true; we find community in our moments of vulnerability. From pre-diagnosis to seeking treatment, to treatment and recovery, each brand must craft a deeply customized message that truly resonates with the people they’re trying to reach. At Dstillery, we value our relationship with our brand partners, as it helps us understand where their clients are coming from in their healthcare journey. This insight allows us to thoughtfully craft audiences and strategies that are aligned with the sensitive nature of the patient journey. 

Using AI for Personalization to Keep the Patient at the Center of the Experience 

Another panel I loved was between Matt Turner, the Deputy Editor in Chief of Business Insider, and Stephen Farquhar, the CEO of Publicis Health. Dstillery is the leading AI targeting company, so any panel about AI instantly caught my attention. In today’s healthcare landscape, integrating AI for personalization places patient experiences at the front of marketing strategies. Stephen noted: “Using real-world data is not theory.” We encourage our partners to harness audience data to seamlessly unite media and content, crafting tailored messages that resonate with specific and diverse patient segments. 

Dstillery leverages real-world data from ICD-10 codes to uniquely personalize each model to the condition or specialty we are trying to reach. By grounding our approach in real-world data, we can make informed decisions about your campaign strategy and create campaigns that speak to patient needs without infringing on privacy or coming off as cliche. 

Knowledge, Permission, and Placement

It’s no secret that healthcare marketing is quickly shifting across the United States. Navigating these shifts requires a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the healthcare space. Healthcare marketers possess invaluable insights into patients’ barriers, seeking to navigate the seemingly overwhelming “data chaos” to establish effective targeting strategies. During a panel, Loren Grossman, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Publicis Group, said: “Imagine knowing your next customer as well as your best customer.” 

That’s the vision for him and his solution team. This is exactly how our healthcare solution, Custom Patient Targeting powered by ID-free® technology, works. ID-free is a first-of-its-kind targeting technology that delivers scale and privacy for advertisers’ programmatic ad campaigns without knowing anything about the user. The technology uses AI to learn from browsing patterns detected in de-identified opt-in panel data. You can think of it this way: Fueled by content data, ChatGPT understands the words in a sentence. Fueled by digital journey data, ID-free understands every website visit. With this understanding, ID-free scores and ranks every available impression, finding the best impressions for a brand. 

Patient-Centric Strategies

At the heart of these efforts lies a focus on the patient, with the ultimate goal being to facilitate awareness of necessary treatments and care. Success hinges upon cultivating a continuous testing and learning culture, particularly with innovative targeting products. As regulations continue to play out in courts, it’s important to have a proven plan. Dstillery’s Custom Patient Targeting offers a unique approach that eliminates the need to navigate complex HIPAA, NAI, or DSP regulations that protect patient data and privacy. Reach your best audience for any health condition – without compromising privacy or performance. Pete Groves, Senior Managing Director at Publicis Sapient, declared, “AI is going to raise the bar for all of us and how we work together.”

I think that’s true. At Dstillery, it already has. Let’s figure out how we can raise the bar on your next healthcare campaign.