At A Glance
M3 MI's MARS Consumer Health Study empowers healthcare advertisers to create personalized campaigns by offering nuanced audience insights. By layering behavioral and engagement attributes, MARS enables accurate targeting, driving stronger engagement, improved ad recall, and measurable campaign outcomes across connected TV (CTV), social, and display channels.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 Dan Lynch a Senior Manager, Insights and Analysis at M3 MI, the company behind the MARS Consumer Health Study and MARS Audiences.
Audience impact across health vertical
Which healthcare advertisers see the greatest impact from MARS audiences? Could you share an example of how health marketers have successfully utilized your data to achieve specific campaign goals, such as patient engagement, awareness, or adherence?
We’re seeing a clear shift in healthcare advertising away from generic, one-size-fits-all campaigns. With MARS, advertisers from pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter (OTC), health insurance companies, and hospitals are seeing the greatest impact by defining highly specific patient and caregiver personas and using those insights to build personalized media plans and deliver unique messaging by segment. As a result, our partners are seeing stronger engagement, increased ad recall, and more effective outcomes because they’re speaking directly to what matters most to each audience.
Media agencies who utilize the MARS Consumer Health Study to build their strategic marketing plans are seeing a great impact by then taking those strategic targets and activating them. Those who are not activating those audiences are really missing out on bringing their strategy to consumer screens.
Building stronger health campaigns with advanced segmentation
What key health-related audience segments does MARS offer?
While other competitors may offer caregiver segments by condition, we go further by layering engagement levels, such as caregivers actively involved in medical decisions or those who regularly discuss care with physicians. Similarly, for patients, we don’t stop at identifying over 60 health conditions; we add behavioral dimensions like whether they’re proactive in managing their health or primarily doctor-led. These nuanced attributes allow advertisers to craft personalized campaigns that resonate on a much deeper level. We can also look at patients that are willing to pay more for an Rx not covered by their insurance, which has been a trend with GLP-1s.
How can health advertisers use these segments to craft more personalized and effective campaigns?
Advertisers can use MARS’ advanced segmentation to move beyond simple demographics or condition-based targeting by layering behavioral and engagement attributes for greater relevance and impact. With MARS, a single condition can be the starting point for building multiple test-and-learn audiences to identify prime prospects. For example, GLP-1 patients have diverse treatment journeys; some pay out-of-pocket due to lack of insurance coverage, others switch brands for cost savings, and some purchase directly through patient websites. Each of these scenarios represents a distinct audience that can be created using MARS data, enabling highly personalized activation strategies.
Data sourcing and quality
How does MARS source and curate consumer data relevant to health audiences?
Our audiences are survey-based, first-party data built from the MARS Consumer Health Study and Kantar’s trusted LifePoints Panel. We do not use medical claims, insurance data, or personal health records; our data is 100% self-reported. The study has over 5,000 different healthcare data points used to create syndicated and custom audiences. Our syndicated audiences are curated based on marketplace trends (e.g., we’ve added more information on GLP-1s), client feedback for enhancements to the MARS study, and reaching audiences medical claims data cannot (e.g., caregivers, treatment satisfaction, act based on healthcare advertising).
What data quality standards do you follow, and how do you ensure consistency and reliability, especially for sensitive or regulated health-related data?
M3 MI is part of M3 Global Research which is committed to transparency and high-quality data with ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certifications. These certifications demonstrate that our research practices align with international regulations.
In a crowded data marketplace, what unique attributes set MARS apart, particularly for health advertisers?
We don’t just identify patients or caregivers, we uncover their motivations, preferences, and behaviors, enabling advertisers to build highly targeted and meaningful audiences that competitors simply can’t replicate.
The MARS Consumer Health Study offers an extensive range of data for audience building, spanning healthy living profiles, OTC, vitamins, and prescription purchasing behaviors, as well as media consumption habits and lifestyle activities.
How MARS ensures regulatory compliance
What measures does MARS take to maintain data privacy and regulatory compliance?
We take a privacy-first approach to exceed all Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) regulations. Since the data to build our audiences is self-reported via the MARS Consumer Health Study, we do not use PII data. We also take the following steps to maintain data privacy and compliance:
- State regulatory compliance: We proactively exclude survey respondents for audience seeds from certain states with consumer privacy laws that preclude audience data use
- Consent and transparency: Survey panelists are required to double-opt-in to all data usage terms before participating in the MARS study. Our panel partner’s privacy policy clearly explains use cases such as look-alike modeling and audience creation.
- Privacy-safe modeling: Data is scaled using propensity models built from an offline, people-based national consumer database. All seed survey data is removed from final models to eliminate any risk of re-identification, ensuring respondents are never targeted directly based on their survey responses.
Click here for full details on M3 MI’s privacy policy
How do these efforts help advertisers navigate an evolving regulatory landscape while ensuring ethical standards?
By relying solely on double opt-in, self-reported data, and removing identifiers, we guarantee that our approach is 100% privacy-safe and compliant. This gives advertisers confidence that our audiences are built on ethical, transparent practices without compromising consumer trust.
Success stories
Could you share a recent success story where a health advertiser achieved significant campaign improvements using M3 MI’s MARS data? What were the key factors behind that success, such as ROI, engagement lift, or conversion rates?
One recent success story involved a diabetes medical device advertiser trying to breakthrough in a cluttered marketing landscape. Their initial broad, non-personalized media campaign delivered lower than expected digital engagement. To address this, the company conducted segmentation research and identified three distinct patient personas. However, the research lacked actionable media insights and a way to effectively reach these personas in the digital world.
That’s where MARS data came in. Using the MARS Consumer Health Study, M3 MI mapped the existing personas to uncover each group’s unique media habits. These insights enabled the media agency to design tailored strategies for each persona. Additionally, M3 MI built custom, propensity-modeled persona audiences for activation across CTV, social, and display channels, ensuring precise targeting and personalized messaging. This strategic shift to personalized persona marketing transformed the campaign from a one-size-fits-all approach to a patient-first model. The company saw a significant lift in website engagement and a measurable increase in ROI.
Resources to maximize your campaigns
Where can readers find additional resources, case studies, or insights to learn more about MARS audience solutions?
Interested healthcare marketers can explore additional resources by visiting our Audience Solutions page. There, they’ll find a comprehensive overview, a detailed taxonomy of syndicated audiences, and other helpful materials. For personalized support or further information on customized audiences, they can also reach us directly at info@M3-MI.com.
Contact us
About our expert
Dan Lynch
Senior Manager, Insights and Analysis, M3 MI
Dan Lynch is a seasoned leader in strategic marketing insights and activation with over 20 years at healthcare focused media agencies. At M3 MI, he helps pharmaceutical companies, media partners, and agencies leverage our syndicated research to address critical business needs. Dan is also a lead of the MARS addressable audience initiative, applying his expertise in developing unique audience personas from our data and activating them across programmatic channels.
About M3 MI
M3 MI, a division of M3 USA, is the leading provider of unbiased syndicated research for the healthcare industry. We specialize in media measurement, advertising intelligence, and audience insights and activation. Leveraging robust datasets, rigorous methodologies, and decades of healthcare expertise, M3 MI delivers a deeper understanding of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, their behaviors, attitudes, media habits, and communication preferences. These insights empower marketers to make informed, data-driven decisions.
Latest posts
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 Allison Dewey (Director, Data & Curation) at 33Across. Navigating complexity in digital advertising Digital advertising is more fragmented and privacy-constrained than ever. How is 33Across helping marketers cut through that complexity to drive real outcomes, and what makes your approach distinct? Reaching audiences without compromising scale or performance is one of the toughest challenges for marketers. Users consume content across multiple devices and channels, making it difficult for marketers to identify and accurately target them with the right message. 33Across segments leverage AI-powered contextual and behavioral signals across privacy-safe environments to help marketers accurately identify audiences, whether they’re streaming content on their connected TV or researching products on their mobile device. What sets us apart is that we don’t just identify valuable audiences; we help marketers also target cookieless inventory and power it with real-time signals. Marketplace integration milestones What excites you most about bringing 33Across audiences into Experian’s data marketplace? We’re excited to bring 33Across audiences into Experian’s data marketplace because it connects our unique segments with a powerful data ecosystem that marketers already trust. Buyers looking to activate audiences that are both privacy-safe and performant continue to tap into the Experian data marketplace for high-quality, high-performing data. We offer a wide range of audience verticals, including B2B, demographic, retail purchase data, interest and intent, and political data. In addition, we offer the ability to create custom segments across verticals. Our intent-based audiences, built from contextual and engagement signals, help buyers reach consumers on CTV, desktop, or mobile devices with scale. Being part of Experian’s data marketplace accelerates access to these audiences, drives better ROI, and helps brands future-proof their strategies today. Retail demand signals Retail brands are racing toward privacy-safe, first-party data. Which 33Across retail datasets or segments are experiencing the highest demand, and what makes them a must-have? Retail marketers are leaning into contextual and behavioral intent signals to complement their first-party data strategies. At 33Across, we’re seeing high demand for segments tied to shopping intent, including in-market consumers browsing for categories like fashion, home goods, electronics, and health & wellness. What makes these segments essential is their real-time nature – they can capture consumer interest as it happens. For retail brands looking to expand their reach while respecting privacy, our segments offer scalable, actionable intent that drives results. B2B without cookies Reaching real B2B decision-makers at scale is tough with or without signals. How does 33Across deliver both precision and reach in this environment? B2B marketing often struggles with balancing scale and specificity. 33Across addresses this by combining contextual precision with AI-modeled behavioral signals; this segment approach reaches professionals actively engaging with relevant content and topics, even in environments where IDs are unavailable. Marketers gain access to more signals and, in turn, better reach from 33Across’ unique publisher integrations and audience curation built from machine learning and AI. We surface intent through content consumption patterns and contextual engagement, unlocking valuable, privacy-safe signals at scale. Allowing B2B marketers to reach real decision-makers in a signal-sparse world. Use cases With retail, B2B, and beyond, can you share an example of how brands in these verticals are utilizing your audiences? Top brands that have a user-focused approach use 33Across audiences to drive scale; performance. These brands enable our segments to precisely reach the right users across devices and increase conversion rates; brand awareness. By reaching the right users, brands have higher conversion rates and increase campaign efficiency. Supply path innovation As identifiers disappear, advertisers are looking for scalable, privacy-safe ways to reach real people. How is 33Across helping unlock more addressable inventory and drive performance? By combining contextual, semantic, and engagement-based signals, we deliver intent-based targeting that performs across CTV, display and video. Higher addressability helps marketers not only extend their reach but also deliver personalized messaging across digital channels in a privacy-compliant way. Contact us About our expert Allison Dewey Director of Data and Curation, 33Across Allison Dewey is the Director of Data & Curation at 33Across, where she oversees data partnerships, integrations, and supply-side curation. With a deep expertise in audience targeting and signal optimization, Allison plays a key role in connecting data into the programmatic world. Allison holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Bates College. About 33Across Rooted in over 15 years of data expertise, 33Across harnesses signals to enrich and expand marketers’ audiences and reach them wherever they consume content. Built from over 300 billion proprietary data signals, we apply machine learning and AI to create over 1,500 B2C and B2B segments using privacy-first principles to reach audiences. Cookieless targeting FAQs How can advertisers reach audiences without traditional identifiers? By using contextual and engagement-based signals, advertisers can target consumers across CTV, mobile, and desktop in a privacy compliant way, even as identifiers become less available. What audience segments are most in demand for retail marketers? Segments tied to shopping intent, such as consumers browsing fashion, electronics, or health products, are highly sought after because they capture real time interest and drive results. How can B2B marketers find decision-makers without cookies? Combining content engagement patterns with machine learning allows marketers to reach professionals actively engaging with relevant topics, even in environments where IDs are unavailable. What makes privacy safe audience targeting effective? Privacy safe targeting uses real time contextual and behavioral signals to deliver relevant messaging across devices and channels without compromising consumer trust. How can real-time intent signals drive demand? Real time intent signals allow advertisers to capture consumer interest as it happens, helping demand side platforms and brands deliver timely, relevant ads that increase engagement and drive conversions across devices like CTV, mobile, and desktop. Latest posts
Originally appeared in Adweek This holiday advertising season, identity is the real differentiator Marketers are betting big on AI to run their holiday advertising, using it to build predictive audiences, generate creative at scale, and optimize media buys in real time. The draw is clear: greater efficiency, delivered at scale. But here’s the problem: without a solid identity foundation, AI is just guessing. And in a year when consumers are cautious and competition is fierce, guesses won’t deliver the outcomes you need. Experian’s 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report shows that success this season will depend on connecting the right data to the right audiences in real time. Download the report now Are shoppers really using AI to make holiday purchases? Not yet. Only 12% of consumers plan to use AI tools to shop this season, mostly for finding discounts. Instead, trusted influences (like retailer websites, product reviews, and recommendations) still guide buying decisions. For marketers, that’s a signal to focus on credibility and connection. AI can support your holiday advertising strategy, but trust still wins the sale. Consumer sentiment heading into the holidays is low, but that could mislead marketers Here's why How marketers are really using AI in holiday advertising Behind the scenes, AI is working overtime. Teams use it to segment audiences, test creative, and optimize media in real time. These capabilities are powerful, but only if they’re grounded in accurate, persistent data. Think about the typical holiday shopper. They may browse a product online, validate it in store, and finally purchase days later from a different device than they used while browsing. If AI isn’t anchored in identity, it struggles to connect those touchpoints. Instead of amplifying relevance, it amplifies noise. See our predictions for Black Friday 2025 Why identity is the GPS for AI-driven holiday advertising Identity is what turns AI from a blunt instrument into an accurate tool. By unifying fragmented signals across channels and devices, identity provides the consistent consumer view that AI needs to be effective. With that foundation, AI can do more than churn out models. Instead, it can: Identify the right audiences and filter out waste Personalize with context, not just scale Measure real outcomes, linking exposures to visits and purchases Identity doesn’t just improve efficiency; it creates accountability. And in a season where every holiday advertising campaign dollar is scrutinized, accountability is the difference between investment and waste. Why connected data will make or break Cyber Week How to turn complexity into clarity this holiday season This year's holiday advertising season is complicated. Marketers are confident, consumers are cautious, and AI is somewhere in the middle. The challenge isn’t just speed or volume, it’s accuracy. By pairing AI with identity, you can adapt to real behavior instead of assumptions. You can build campaigns that are consistent across connected TV, retail media, and social platforms. And you can prove results when it matters most. AI isn’t a holiday miracle. But when it’s powered by identity, it can give you clarity in a noisy season and proof of performance when budgets are under scrutiny. Explore Experian's holiday audiences to activate this season What’s the real takeaway for marketers this season? Don’t assume AI alone will save your holiday advertising strategy. It won’t. Consumers still trust human voices more than machines, and your AI models are only as strong as the data beneath them. Identity is the difference between guesswork and accuracy, between activity and impact. This holiday season, the winners won’t be the brands that simply spend more or automate faster. They’ll be the ones that put identity at the core of their AI strategy and meet consumers where they really are. Download Experian’s 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report to see where consumers are spending and how identity can help your holiday advertising campaigns more effective. Download now About the author Colleen Dawe VP, Advertiser Partnerships, Experian Colleen Dawe is VP, Advertiser Partnerships at Experian Marketing Services, where she oversees revenue growth and client success, helping advertisers harness data and identity to fuel marketing strategies. With over 15 years of experience spanning TV and digital media, she brings deep expertise in data, identity, activation, and measurement to help her clients connect innovation with business outcomes. Holiday advertising FAQs Why isn’t AI enough on its own for holiday advertising? AI works best when it’s grounded in accurate data. Without identity, it can’t connect actions across devices or channels, which limits its effectiveness. How does identity improve AI-driven campaigns? Identity creates a single, persistent view of your audience. That means AI can personalize content, measure conversions, and cut waste with far greater accuracy. What does “identity” mean in marketing terms? It’s the data layer that connects people across their devices, browsers, and behaviors—so your campaigns reach real individuals. How can marketers prove ROI in holiday advertising? By tying exposure to verified outcomes—like store visits or purchases—using identity-linked data. That’s how Experian helps brands move from impressions to impact. Latest posts
What challenge did the pet brand face? A national e-commerce pet supplier wanted to expand into audio advertising to diversify beyond display campaigns. But with only one team member available to test this new channel, they faced three hurdles: Prove performance in a new channel Run lean with limited bandwidth Show purchase intent, engaged site visits, and completion rates fast They needed a partner to handle execution and supply optimization so their lean team could focus on strategy and selling audio internally. Hear how we're working with Audacy to help our clients connect beyond the screen Tune in here The solution: How did Experian Curated Deals help? Audigent, a part of Experian, ran point on setup, optimization, and real-time reporting. The brand turned to Experian Curated Deals. Together we: Streamlined access to curated inventory, cutting intermediaries and boosting efficiency Handled campaign setup and supply-side optimization Delivered real-time demand-side platform (DSP) reporting for agile targeting refinements Provided an extension of their in-house team, giving them bandwidth to focus on pitching audio internally “What stood out about Experian was their real-time control and the depth of their trading team. I knew I could hand them a campaign, and they’d run with it.”Programmatic Media Lead, National e-commerce pet supplier Want to see the full case study? Download it here What results did the campaign deliver? In just a few months, audio transformed from a small test into a top-performing channel: Exceeded KPIs by 63% Increased purchase intent and engagement vs. competing platforms Matched display performance without creative refreshes or incentive overlays Earned budget increases, positioning audio as a long-term investment Reduced internal setup time, freeing the team for strategic projects “Experian became more than just a media partner: they filled critical gaps that would typically require outsized investment in internal resourcing.”CMO, National e-commerce pet supplier Explore more examples of how brands are driving performance with Experian Windstar Cruises Leading athletic retailer Swiss Sense Why does this matter for marketers? For marketers, audio isn’t experimental anymore. It’s a proven channel that can drive both engagement and conversions. This case study shows how brands can: Use Experian Curated Deals to validate new channels with minimal risk. Lean on Experian to handle execution, freeing teams to focus on growth. Drive meaningful engagement and purchase intent, not just impressions. For marketers navigating limited resources and pressure to prove ROI fast, Experian Curated Deals provides both performance and confidence. Want to beat your campaign goals by double digits? Contact us today Curated Deals FAQs What is Experian Curated Deals? Experian Curated Deals streamline access to premium media inventory by eliminating unnecessary intermediaries, optimizing efficiency, and ensuring campaigns perform against KPIs. Why use curated deals for audio advertising? Curated deals help brands test and validate audio quickly, without the heavy lift of manual setup and supply path management. Can audio really drive conversions? Yes. In this case, audio campaigns not only exceeded awareness and engagement goals but also matched the conversion performance traditionally associated with display. How does Experian support lean teams? By managing setup, supply optimization, and reporting, Experian acts as an extension of your team, reducing internal workload while driving performance. Latest posts