At A Glance
Pharma marketers can support more informed health journeys when patient and HCP messaging is relevant, privacy-forward, and optimized against meaningful outcomes. In this Ask the Expert conversation, Experian and DeepIntent discuss how health marketers can coordinate education, CTV, activation workflows, and measurement without entering private clinical decisions.Privacy-forward pharma media supports more informed healthcare journeys
Effective pharma marketing depends on reaching patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals (HCPs) with useful information in appropriate, privacy-forward ways. The goal is to make relevant education easier to find, support more informed conversations, and help brands understand how media contributes across the health journey.
In this Ask the Expert session, Natalie Mancuso, SVP, Data Partnerships at DeepIntent, joins Sheila Wirick, who leads the health team at Experian, to discuss how to craft patient and HCP campaigns, privacy-safe activation workflows, connected TV (CTV), and measurement approaches built for pharma.
Why should your media plan start with understanding the patient and provider
The patient-and-provider journey should inform your media plan, as treatment decisions in pharma are increasingly informed, personal, and patient-driven. With more health information available than ever, patients are playing a more active role in understanding their options and participating in treatment conversations. As other industries become more customer-centric, pharma media planning needs to become more patient-centric.
“We’ve got patients who are more informed, more involved in their treatment decisions than ever. The accessibility of data and information and the ways we can consume it with just AI alone is so vast that if we’re not arming people with the right information in real time, we’re missing the boat.”
DeepIntentNatalie Mancuso, SVP, Data Partnerships
This means media should be aligned to where a patient or provider is in the decision journey and what they need at that moment. Early on, media may play an educational role by building awareness of a condition, symptom, or treatment category. Later, it may help support more specific questions, treatment consideration, access, affordability, or adherence.
The patient-provider conversation remains the key boundary. That exchange should stay private and clinically led. Media can play a valuable role before and after those moments by offering information that helps patients and providers feel more informed.
How can brands connect patient and HCP messaging responsibly?
It’s critical for agencies and brands to deliver relevant messaging to inform each stakeholder’s needs throughout the treatment journey, especially ahead of key clinical milestones. To execute this, brands must exercise privacy-forward activation, keeping patient and HCP identity, activation, and measurement paths separate, while using a common workflow layer to support the same brand goal.
Experian helps pharma marketers do this by acting as an independent, privacy-forward identity, data, and workflow layer. We bring together high-fidelity matching, governed onboarding, and non-clinical consumer context, so patient and HCP engagement can be activated more accurately across channels and connected to reporting.
The distinction is not only where each audience is reached. HCPs may be engaged in both professional and personal environments, but their needs are different from patients’. For example, an HCP may receive messaging about co-pay savings for eligible patients, while a patient may receive information about patient support programs. These are different messages for different audiences, but they ladder up to the same goal: informing both parties in a privacy-forward, relevant way.
Hear from Natalie Mancuso in our 2026 State of advertising report
In our 2026 State of advertising report, Natalie shares why identity serves as the connective infrastructure that links planning, activation, and measurement across connected TV (CTV), programmatic, commerce media, and walled garden environments.
What does privacy-forward activation look like in pharma?
Pharma brands often start with fragmented patient and HCP signals. Privacy-forward activation turns those inputs into usable audiences by first confirming that the data can be used, then translating identity in controlled environments that protect personally identifiable information through tokenization or other methodologies.
For DTC, that means building and matching audiences without relying on inferred health conditions from browsing behavior. For HCPs, it means connecting professional identity to verified sources in a way that supports activation and measurement. In a category shaped by HIPAA, state privacy laws, internal review, and consumer sensitivity, building privacy in from sourcing through activation is what makes responsible health media possible.
How can CTV play a more useful role in pharma?
CTV can play a more useful role in healthcare when it’s connected to a larger, privacy-forward plan and not treated as just an awareness channel.
DeepIntent connects CTV and digital exposure data using identity signals, such as National Provider Identifiers (NPIs), hashed email addresses, IP addresses, device IDs, and household signals, where permitted and reviewed. That identity layer helps support sequencing and suppression across streaming, endemic, mobile, and digital settings.
In practice, CTV can introduce targeted education or broad brand awareness, and later touchpoints can provide sequential information in the right channels. Instead of repeating the same message, brands can make pivots based on engagement and context.
“For us, it starts with identity and not panels. When we’re resolving CTV and digital exposures to the same person, we’re leveraging signals so that every touchpoint across streaming, endemic, and mobile is recognized as the same individual, not model lookalikes.”
DeepIntentNatalie Mancuso, SVP, Data Partnerships
For pharma, campaign performance should not be measured by reach alone. A stronger approach looks at whether sequenced engagement contributes to meaningful downstream signals, including:
- Prescription activity
- Provider engagement
- Referral patterns
- Patient compliance
- Adherence signals, where measurement is permitted
Why should messaging and reporting change in pharma?
Pharma campaigns are journeys with changing information needs. Reporting should guide the campaign optimization.
“If I’m launching into a market with a new class of drug, I’m asking what education needs to be put into the market – from both an HCP and a consumer standpoint – to build awareness?”
DeepIntentNatalie Mancuso, SVP, Data Partnerships
Clicks and website visits still have a place, but they can’t tell the full pharma story. DeepIntent processes data in real time, giving brands an up-to-date read on how media connects to campaign engagement. Campaign signals can help teams optimize audience logic, creative, channel mix, or sequencing during a live campaign.
Heading Test for Media & Text Block
Content Test for Media &Text Block
Heading Test for Media & Text Block
Content Test for Media &Text Block
Heading Test for Media & Text Block
Content Test for Media &Text Block
Explore how privacy-safe pharma activation can make an impact
Experian brings marketing data and identity expertise for health marketing and DeepIntent adds pharma-specific activation experience. Together, we help brands connect patient and HCP strategies responsibly, with privacy built in from the start.
Watch the full video with our experts to hear Sheila Wirick and Natalie Mancuso discuss patient and HCP messaging, CTV, privacy-safe activation, and outcome measurement for pharma brands.
About our experts
Natalie Mancuso
SVP, Data Partnerships, DeepIntent
Natalie Mancuso is SVP, Data Partnerships at DeepIntent and a leader in health-focused AdTech and DSP strategy. With over 20 years of experience growing billion-dollar healthcare brands, she turns complex data into scalable, performance-driven solutions that keep marketers ahead of industry change.
Sheila Wirick
Director of Health Sales, Experian
Sheila Wirick is the Director of Health Sales at Experian with more than 20 years of experience in data and analytics. As Director of Health Sales at Experian Marketing Services, she collaborates with healthcare, pharmaceutical, and nonprofit organizations to apply data and insights that enhance customer retention, brand awareness, and acquisition. She is committed to helping organizations use data to deliver measurable results and meaningful impact.
FAQs
A pharma audience is activation-ready when patient or HCP inputs can be translated into usable audiences with the right accuracy, controls, interoperability, and destination readiness. For patient engagement, that may include privacy-safe cohort construction, caregiver logic, non-clinical enrichment and appropriate exclusion rules. For HCP engagement, it may include governed identity inputs such as NPI, specialty, practice location, professional address and other verified attributes where appropriate.
Pharma brands can sequence messages responsibly by giving each channel a clear role and using audience logic to maintain continuity. CTV and out-of-home can support awareness, social can reinforce the message, search can capture active research and point-of-care or rep-triggered channels can support decision moments. The workflow should preserve separation between patient and HCP identity strategies.
Pharma marketers should measure whether media connects to outcomes such as audience quality, prescription activity, qualified HCP engagement, verified delivery, referral patterns, therapy starts or adherence signals where permitted. These outcomes often depend on partner-enabled workflows, clean rooms, and aggregated outputs rather than direct end-to-end tracking.
Experian acts as an independent privacy-first identity, data, and workflow layer for pharma marketers. We help brands bring together identity, high-fidelity matching, governed onboarding, non-clinical consumer context, and partner interoperability so patient and HCP engagement can be activated more accurately across channels and connected more cleanly to partner-enabled measurement.
Latest posts
YouTube Embed Yoast FAQ Block FAQ Question #1 FAQ Answer #1 FAQ Question #2 FAQ Answer #2 FAQ Question #3 FAQ Answer #3 CTA Embed Button Test InfoGram Embed
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aliquam vitae nibh eu massa cursus eleifend quis in quam. Nunc mollis aliquam eros sed laoreet. Suspendisse et elit ut metus elementum aliquet ut sit amet metus. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Pellentesque fringilla, nibh eget convallis scelerisque, nisl nisl vestibulum ipsum, sit amet placerat neque nunc eget nisi. Cras cursus, sapien non interdum mollis, nibh augue efficitur eros, eget congue tellus nulla id lectus. Nullam vestibulum vitae erat sit amet mollis. Sed gravida tortor nec nibh blandit ultrices. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Nam justo lectus, tempus a velit at, tempus malesuada est. Aenean dictum tellus id lorem venenatis, quis sodales nisl tempus. In quis libero id est rhoncus dictum. Praesent ipsum dui, mattis vel augue ut, lacinia ultricies ex. Suspendisse sit amet gravida purus. Vivamus tempus tellus augue, ac placerat arcu efficitur non. Nam auctor at nulla sed porta. Vivamus lobortis eu nunc a efficitur. Vestibulum condimentum ante nec nisi imperdiet vulputate. Duis varius metus ac est fermentum congue. Aenean tincidunt ut erat non pharetra. Nulla elit orci, semper sed porttitor ac, convallis vitae velit. Praesent egestas blandit ullamcorper. Praesent a porta lectus. Aliquam et pellentesque lectus. Integer placerat mauris risus, ut semper dui commodo at. Vivamus efficitur pharetra ligula id rhoncus. Pellentesque gravida purus vitae viverra luctus. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; In vitae augue nec odio fermentum ultrices a sed libero. Nulla ullamcorper nulla id sagittis convallis. Pellentesque cursus metus et orci iaculis, non laoreet nisi aliquam. Proin porta velit risus, ac ultricies lectus tincidunt at. Pellentesque scelerisque ullamcorper euismod. Phasellus eget velit malesuada, faucibus enim a, ultrices ante. Morbi ut diam non metus interdum placerat gravida quis arcu. Integer ultricies molestie nulla sed convallis. Curabitur mi dui, aliquam vel nibh rutrum, convallis tempor lacus. Cras porttitor laoreet varius. Ut tincidunt massa congue mauris lobortis euismod. Pellentesque a odio ut est consequat tristique ut in mi. Nullam sed ultricies justo, eu varius eros. Nunc ipsum nulla, vehicula at sagittis a, ornare ut nisi. Aenean imperdiet felis at aliquet porta. Nunc sed leo ut justo efficitur aliquet. Sed et urna vel urna maximus laoreet. In facilisis porttitor nisi in sagittis. Fusce magna sapien, molestie ac maximus eu, tincidunt sit amet massa. Praesent non mauris metus. Aliquam dapibus sit amet tortor at scelerisque. Ut vel dolor at nisi rhoncus finibus auctor non velit. Integer pellentesque venenatis diam, nec eleifend ipsum pellentesque quis. Vivamus vitae mi nisl. Curabitur lectus orci, ornare et ipsum venenatis, sagittis blandit mauris. FAQs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aliquam vitae nibh eu massa cursus eleifend quis in quam. Nunc mollis aliquam eros sed laoreet. Suspendisse et elit ut metus elementum aliquet ut sit amet metus. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Pellentesque fringilla, nibh eget convallis scelerisque, nisl nisl vestibulum ipsum, sit amet placerat neque nunc eget nisi. Cras cursus, sapien non interdum mollis, nibh augue efficitur eros, eget congue tellus nulla id lectus. Nullam vestibulum vitae erat sit amet mollis. Sed gravida tortor nec nibh blandit ultrices. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Nam justo lectus, tempus a velit at, tempus malesuada est. Aenean dictum tellus id lorem venenatis, quis sodales nisl tempus. In quis libero id est rhoncus dictum. Praesent ipsum dui, mattis vel augue ut, lacinia ultricies ex. Suspendisse sit amet gravida purus. Vivamus tempus tellus augue, ac placerat arcu efficitur non. Nam auctor at nulla sed porta. Vivamus lobortis eu nunc a efficitur. Vestibulum condimentum ante nec nisi imperdiet vulputate. Duis varius metus ac est fermentum congue. Aenean tincidunt ut erat non pharetra. Nulla elit orci, semper sed porttitor ac, convallis vitae velit. Praesent egestas blandit ullamcorper. Praesent a porta lectus. Aliquam et pellentesque lectus. Integer placerat mauris risus, ut semper dui commodo at. Vivamus efficitur pharetra ligula id rhoncus. Pellentesque gravida purus vitae viverra luctus. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; In vitae augue nec odio fermentum ultrices a sed libero. Nulla ullamcorper nulla id sagittis convallis.
In our Ask the Expert Series, we interview leaders from our partner organizations who are helping lead their brands to new heights in AdTech. Today’s interview is with Ben Smith, VP of Product, Data Products at Infillion. Adapting to signal loss What does the Experian–Infillion integration mean for advertisers looking to reach audiences as signals fade? As cookies and mobile identifiers disappear, brands need a new way to find and reach their audiences. The Experian integration strengthens Infillion’s XGraph, a cookieless, interoperable identity graph that supports all major ID frameworks, unifying people and households across devices with privacy compliance, by providing a stronger identity foundation with household- and person-level data. This allows us to connect the dots deterministically and compliantly across devices and channels, including connected TV (CTV). The result is better match rates on your first-party data, more scalable reach in cookieless environments, and more effective frequency management across every screen. Connecting audiences across channels How does Experian’s Digital Graph strengthen Infillion’s ability to deliver addressable media across channels like CTV and mobile? Experian strengthens the household spine of XGraph, which means we can accurately connect CTV impressions to the people and devices in that home – then extend those connections to mobile and web. This lets us plan, activate, and measure campaigns at the right level: household for CTV, and person or device for mobile and web. The outcome is smarter reach, less waste from over-frequency, and campaigns that truly work together across channels. The value of earned attention Infillion has long championed “guaranteed attention” in advertising. How does that philosophy translate into measurable outcomes for brands? Our engagement formats, such as TrueX, are based on a simple principle: attention should be earned, not forced. Viewers choose to engage with the ad and complete an action, which means every impression represents real, voluntary attention rather than passive exposure. Because of that, we consistently see stronger completion rates, deeper engagement, and clearer downstream results – like lower acquisition costs, improved on-site behavior, and measurable brand lift. To take that a step further, we measure attention through UpLift, our real-time brand lift tool. UpLift helps quantify how exposure to a campaign influences awareness, consideration, or purchase intent, providing a more complete picture of how earned attention translates into business impact. Creative innovation and location insights Beyond identity resolution, what are some of Infillion’s capabilities, like advanced creative formats or location-based insights, that set you apart in the market? One key area is location intelligence, which combines privacy-safe geospatial insights with location-based targeting through our proprietary geofencing technology. This allows us to build custom, data-driven campaigns that connect media exposure to real-world outcomes – like store visits and dwell time – measured through Arrival, our in-house footfall attribution product. We also build custom audiences using a mix of zero-party survey data, first-party location-based segments, and bespoke audience builds aligned to each advertiser’s specific strategy. Then there’s creative innovation, which is a major differentiator for us. Our high-impact formats go beyond static display, such as interactive video units that let viewers explore products through hotspots or carousels, rich-media ads that feature polls, quizzes, dynamic distance, or gamified elements, and immersive experiences that encourage active participation rather than passive viewing. These creative formats not only capture attention but also generate deeper engagement and stronger performance for a variety of KPIs. Future ready media strategies How does Infillion’s ID-agnostic approach help brands future-proof their media strategies amid ongoing privacy and tech changes? We don’t put all our eggs in one basket. XGraph securely unifies multiple durable identifiers alongside our proprietary TrueX supply to strengthen CTV household reach. This agnostic design allows us to adapt as platforms, regulations, and browsers evolve – so you can preserve reach and measurement capabilities without getting locked into a single ID or losing coverage when the next signal deprecates. Raising the bar for media accountability Looking ahead, how is Infillion evolving its platform to meet the next wave of challenges in audience engagement and media accountability? From an engagement standpoint, we’re expanding our ability to support the full customer journey, offering ad experiences that move seamlessly from awareness to consideration to conversion. That includes smarter creative that adapts to context, intelligent targeting and retargeting informed by real data, and formats designed to drive measurable outcomes rather than just impressions. When it comes to accountability, we’re ensuring that measurement is both flexible and credible. In addition to our proprietary tools, we partner with leading third-party measurement providers to validate results and give advertisers confidence that their investment is truly performing. Within our DSP, we emphasize full transparency and log-level data access, ensuring advertisers can see exactly what’s happening on every impression. All of this builds toward the next era of agentic media buying – one enabled by our MCP suite and modular, component-based tools. This evolution brings greater accountability and next-generation audience engagement to an increasingly automated, intelligent media landscape. Our goal is to help brands connect more meaningfully with audiences while holding every impression – and every outcome – to a higher standard of transparency and effectiveness. Driving impact across the funnel What is a success story or use cases that demonstrate the impact of the Experian–Infillion integration? We recently partnered with a national veterans’ organization to raise awareness of its programs for injured or ill veterans and their families. Using the Experian integration, we combined persistent household- and person-level identifiers with cross-device activation to reach veteran and donor audiences more precisely across CTV, display, and rich media. The campaign achieved standout results – industry-leading engagement rates, a 99% video completion rate, and measurable lifts in both brand awareness (3.6 % increase) and donation consideration (13.7% lift). It’s a clear example of how stronger identity and smarter activation can drive meaningful outcomes across the full funnel. Contact us Identity resolution FAQs Why is identity resolution critical for CTV and cross-channel campaigns? Identity resolution ensures accurate connections between devices, households, and individuals. Experian’s Offline Identity Resolution and Digital Graph strengthen these connections for improved targeting and consistent measurement across CTV, mobile, and web. What strategies help address the loss of cookies and mobile IDs? Solutions like Experian’s Digital Graph enable brands to connect first-party data to household and person-level identifiers, ensuring scalable reach and compliant audience targeting legacy signals fade. How can engagement translate into measurable results? Focusing on earned attention (where audiences actively choose to engage) leads to stronger completion rates, improves on-site behavior, and drives measurable increases in brand awareness and consideration. What makes cross-channel targeting more effective? By linking CTV impressions to households and extending those connections to mobile and web, Experian’s identity solutions ensure campaigns work together seamlessly, reducing over-frequency and improving overall reach. About our expert Ben Smith VP Product, Data Products, Infillion Ben Smith leads Infillion’s Data Products organization, delivering identity, audience, and measurement solutions across the platform. Previously, he was CEO and co-founder of Fysical, a location intelligence startup acquired by Infillion in 2019. About Infillion Infillion is the first fully composable advertising platform, built to solve the challenges of complexity, fragmentation, and opacity in the digital media ecosystem. With MediaMath at its core, Infillion’s modular approach enables advertisers to seamlessly integrate or independently deploy key components—including demand, data, creative, and supply. This flexibility allows brands, agencies, commerce and retail media networks, and resellers to create tailored, high-performance solutions without the constraints of traditional, all-or-nothing legacy systems. Latest posts