Data and Storytelling in Cannes: The New Era of Healthcare TV Advertising
A powerhouse media, pharma, and data panel shares healthcare advertising insights, experiences, and predictions
The power of data, AI, and omnichannel strategies is transforming healthcare marketing. At the Brand Innovators Marketing Leadership Summit in Cannes, a powerhouse panel of data, TV, and healthcare advertising experts shared their experiences and predictions for the industry on the global stage.
Amgen Head of Global Media Erin Nocito, IPG Mediabrands Health Global President Melisa Gordon-Ring, NBCUniversal Senior Vice President Client Partnerships Abbey Berryman, and Swoop Chief Revenue Officer Katie Carr discussed how data is transforming television advertising and patient engagement.
This panel is a must-watch for pharma marketers seeking to leverage data, AI, and omnichannel strategies for improved campaign results.
Industry shifts to watch
The panelists emphasized an audience-centric approach, prioritizing reaching the right people through the ideal channels. Precision targeting empowers pharma marketers to connect with the right audiences at the right time, maximizing the impact of their campaigns.
“Advertisers, particularly in health care, are leveraging the space of video to be able to tell a story,” Abbey said. “I think there’s been a shift to storytelling from only being product focused to reputation building, building a brand, and really getting across the values of the brand.”
Whether it’s a common condition like psoriasis or a rare disease with only hundreds of patients, precise targeting enables brands like Genentech to reach the right audiences across their entire portfolio at scale and with real impact.
Choosing the right KPIs to measure brand impact with patients and HCPs
The data-driven approach also enables healthcare marketers to fully understand all audiences as humans, beyond a patient’s disease state or an HCP’s job title.
To effectively target patients early in their healthcare journey, brands must understand their needs even before diagnosis. With KPIs that are actionable, Erin’s team moves quickly and adjusts campaigns.
“That comes down to brand metrics, the quality of your audience that you’re reaching, and maybe more performance based, KPIs that you can identify, because that script lift involves so many different factors beyond just the paid media, ultimately, for the patient,” Erin said.
Leading and lagging indicators enable more strategic patient and HCP outreach. For Melissa and Erin, the focus is on coordinating educational messages to both HCPs and patients through video. By educating patients, physicians, nurse practitioners, and caregivers, brands can empower more knowledgeable conversations
“It’s understanding those areas of overlap and intersection that are the most powerful, whether that’s within the world of search and lean forward types of channels or even when we think about point of care, how are we using our messages in a way that can help us educate both audiences and prime them for that conversation to truly understand what their options are,” Melissa said.
By moving beyond the NPI List, Swoop helps brands uncover the HCPs most likely to drive optimal patient and commercial outcomes with HCP Pro and then activate those audiences across all channels with consistent messaging.
Meeting the moment with urgency and empathy
For brands in the healthcare space, timing is everything and relevance is essential. Using data to fuel media buying and content allows brands to create more relevant and effective communications.
“We’re dealing in a space where there’s urgency. There’s urgency for the patient,” Erin said. “You get that diagnosis. You’re not waiting for that next message. We have to be there to enable you with the right information.”
From intelligent media buying to storytelling that resonates, the Cannes panel outlined a clear path forward for success in the evolving healthcare marketing landscape: use data to be more human, more helpful, and more effective. Gain a competitive edge by watching the full panel.
