Healthcare Programmatic Maturity Model

You’re likely already integrating programmatic display advertising into your healthcare marketing mix—after all, it’s a crucial component of modern media strategy.

But where does your organization fall on the programmatic maturity spectrum?

Are you a newbie or a black belt? We designed the Programmatic Maturity Model to guide marketers through a systematic understanding of the different levels of programmatic expertise: from foundational knowledge to sophisticated programmatic-first approaches.

Use this model to assess your organization’s healthcare programmatic advertising capabilities, including needs, processes, tools, and outcomes, and pinpoint areas of opportunities for growth and impact. Unsure where you’re supposed to be? Don’t know where to focus next? Need help justifying new investment? This model will help you strategically plan your next steps.

Scroll to learn about the four phases of programmatic maturity.

Newbie

Just starting out with programmatic media

Scaler

High confidence in programmatic for efficiency

Sophisticate

Uses advanced programmatic features to drive marketing impact

First

Views programmatic as the enabler for ALL marketing

Archetype

  • Small discrete healthcare programmatic campaign
  • Programmatic commands a larger portion of the budget, expands across multiple brands
  • Refined use of programmatic technology and data to fine-tune campaigns
  • Maxes out on programmatic media first, before other media expenditures

Business Driver

  • Testing and innovation
  • Cost efficiency
  • Channel ROI
  • Cross-channel ROI

Scope of Programmatic Initiatives

  • One channel: usually banner display
  • Few channels: usually banners across display, video, native
  • Multichannel: banners across display, video, native, plus new creative formats for traditional channels like TV and audio/radio
  • Omnichannel: all channels are implemented seamlessly and sequentially (trigger-based) as one for full-funnel impact

Creative Formats

  • Display banners
  • Video
  • Native ads
  • DOOH
  • Search extensions
  • EHR
  • TV
  • Audio

Creative Customization

  • No customization
  • Minimal customization
  • Creative is customized based on the role each channel plays in the customer journey
  • Sequenced messaging is deployed across formats on the fly

Customer Data Sources: HCP

  • NPI Target List
  • In-platform expansion
  • NPI list that routinely includes in-platform expansion

Customer Data Sources: DTC

  • Contextual targeting
  • Behavioral segments
  • Healthcare data segments (e.g., PulsePoint, Crossix, Swoop, PurpleLab)
  • First-party DTC data leveraging LiveRamp or another DMP

Performance Analytics Capabilities Needed

  • Campaign performance (delivery, clicks) versus goal
  • Campaign performance (delivery, clicks, AQ) versus goal
  • Additional insights gained from expanded platform reach
  • Real-time campaign performance by channel
  • Visibility into whole marketing funnel
  • Optimization of omnichannel execution using real-time campaign performance by NPI, audience segment, channel, geo/demo, trigger behavior, and clinical behavior

Performance Measurement

  • Last click model (limitation: this never shows effective)
  • Separate KPIs to measure the impact of each channel
  • Ability to measure audiences and behaviors across channels and HCP/DTC connection using audience quality and NPI device graph reporting

Goal of Measurement

  • Allocate budget for future campaigns
  • Design media plan
  • Deploy best performing targeting tactic first
  • Maximize movement through the funnel

Value at this Stage

  • Precision targeting
  • Reach against target list
  • Lower CPMs ($45 versus $300)
  • Less risk than direct buys
  • Better optimization opportunities
  • Access to more of the target population’s web journey than direct buys
  • Frequency control across the entire multichannel programmatic buy (not possible for direct buys)
  • Cost savings on platform fees as spend levels go up
  • Ability to build customer journeys based on real-world data
  • Better data drives higher performance
  • Economies of scale to negotiate agency and platform fees

Relation to Direct Media Buys

  • Programmatic is small part of the media plan; direct media buys deliver the majority of the media plan goals
  • Programmatic is leveraged for cost efficiency and scale
  • Direct media buys are leveraged for control (over inventory, placements, and pricing), and customization (of the messaging and the experience)
  • Programmatic and direct buys start integrating in one media plan, consisting of direct buys, specialty channels, and open web buys
  • Programmatic is part of an integrated media plan brought together in a data-driven omnichannel framework

Programmatic Expertise

  • Rely on programmatic partner for strategy and execution
  • Planning and execution is shared across programmatic partner and in-house programmatic team
  • Programmatic planning and execution is completely in house

Leadership Involvement

  • Arm’s length
  • Informed
  • Advocate

IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF ERICA HAWTHORNE

The programmatic maturity model was developed in partnership with Erica Hawthorne, 1975-2024.

Erica was a trailblazer in the industry, and a longtime partner and friend of PulsePoint. During this time, she profoundly shaped the way we think and develop products, always driven by a clear and powerful mission. Erica was especially concerned that pharma advertising didn’t “speak” to underrepresented populations, and she made it her priority to change that. Her vision ensured that our work not only embraced innovation but also engaged those whose needs were often overlooked.

Erica was never afraid to challenge the status quo, bringing bold ideas to the table and always pushing us to think bigger. Her deep curiosity and passion for learning fueled her ability to create solutions that were both cutting-edge and deeply human. She understood that healthcare advertising had the potential to not just reach, but truly resonate with, people from all walks of life.

Her technical brilliance, combined with her compassion and fierce commitment to inclusivity, transformed both PulsePoint and the industry as a whole. She was instrumental in the creation of this programmatic maturity model, recognizing its potential to improve patient outcomes and healthcare accessibility.

Erica’s legacy is one of brilliance, kindness, and lasting impact. She was not only a giant in her field but also a friend, a mentor, and an inspiration. While we will miss her tremendously, her influence will continue to guide us. We are forever grateful for her leadership and the lasting mark she left on our work and the world.