At A Glance
Healthcare marketers are spending record amounts on pharma advertising, but most still can't connect campaign exposure to prescribing outcomes. This article explains why fragmented data, identity, and measurement systems break the link between patient (DTC) and healthcare professional (HCP) audiences, and the infrastructure that closes that gap.Originally published in AdExchanger
Key takeaways
- Pharma digital ad spend is tracking between $22 billion and $26 billion in 2026, yet most brands still can’t connect ad exposure to prescribing behavior.
- DTC and HCP teams need to agree on a shared measurement framework before a campaign launches, not after, so performance can be judged on one standard.
- Experian’s identity infrastructure keeps DTC and HCP data governed separately through two distinct paths while still making cross-audience measurement possible.
- Experian’s Audience Engine connects audience building to activation, giving teams access to premium publisher inventory and a marketplace of 19+ verified health data partners.
Healthcare marketing teams are spending more than ever. Pharma digital ad spend is now tracking between $22 billion and $26 billion in 2026, with connected TV (CTV) overtaking search as the most noticed healthcare ad channel. Yet most brands still can’t draw a straight line from campaign exposure to a filled prescription.
The problem isn’t budget or creative. It’s a structural gap in how healthcare marketers connect data, identity, and measurement across patient (DTC) and healthcare professional (HCP) audiences.
That gap is widening as campaigns grow more complex. A brand running a simultaneous patient (DTC) push and healthcare professional (HCP) engagement program is running two disconnected programs with different data sources, identity schemas, agency relationships, and definitions of success. When a patient sees a CTV ad and their cardiologist receives a targeted digital engagement the same week, almost no brand can confirm that those two exposures happened, let alone measure their combined effect on prescribing behavior.
Why is data fragmentation becoming a bigger challenge for healthcare marketers?
Data fragmentation is becoming a bigger challenge for healthcare marketers because the accuracy pharma brands are paying for in digital media doesn’t match what most measurement stacks can deliver. As pharma shifts spend from linear television to digital channels, the expectation of accuracy comes with it. Brands can no longer accept “we reached the right demographic” as a measurement answer when they are paying programmatic CPMs and expecting outcomes measured in script lift.
The typical healthcare marketer is working with three or four disconnected data environments. Consumer data lives in one place. Claims and National Provider Identifier (NPI) records live in another. Media reporting from the agency is in a third. Analytics and measurement are downstream of all of them, often running on a different timeline. Each handoff introduces the potential for data loss, and those losses compound across a campaign flight.
This creates a reporting picture that tells you what happened in each channel but not what worked across them. That distinction matters enormously when the goal isn’t impressions but activation, adherence, or prescribing behavior.
The missing layer in pharma marketing. Watch our Q&A
Does fixing healthcare data fragmentation mean merging DTC and HCP data together?
No, merging DTC and HCP data together isn’t the answer to healthcare data fragmentation. Healthcare data environments have strict governance requirements, and the separation of DTC and HCP data is both a regulatory and a strategic necessity. Merging DTC and HCP data into a single undifferentiated pool is not a goal worth pursuing.
What healthcare marketers actually need is a shared infrastructure that lets disparate data environments speak a common language without eliminating the boundaries between them. Three elements make that possible:
Experian’s identity infrastructure is built on this principle, acting as a neutral, interoperable workflow layer. For DTC audiences, that means high-fidelity tokenized matching that preserves accuracy from onboarding through activation and into partner-enabled measurement. For HCP audiences, it means deterministic NPI-based resolution using verified professional attributes including specialty, practice location, and professional address. These are two distinct identity paths, governed to keep DTC and HCP data separate while enabling measurement across both.
From onboarding to outcomes
Pharma marketing teams need identity workflows that can support accurate audience creation, governed activation, and partner-enabled measurement without combining DTC and HCP identity paths.
Download our pharma marketing playbook to help your team:
- Plan DTC and HCP identity strategies with clearer separation
- Prepare audiences for activation across approved channels and partners
- Evaluate audience quality, usable reach, and governance
What does a connected view of DTC and HCP audiences look like in healthcare marketing?
A connected view means DTC and HCP audiences in healthcare marketing runs on identity workflows matched to what each requires, deterministic resolution for HCPs and high-fidelity matching for DTC, with both feeding into shared measurement instead of siloed reporting. Building this kind of connected infrastructure isn’t a one-quarter initiative, but three questions show you where your program stands today.
Why is infrastructure the foundation for durable healthcare marketing programs?
Infrastructure is the foundation for durable healthcare marketing programs because it’s what lets audience planning, activation, and measurement function as one connected system instead of three separate handoffs that break down under pressure. As healthcare marketing gets more competitive, regulated, and measurable, that connected system is what keeps campaigns from starting over each time.
A connected view of DTC and HCP audiences in healthcare, with the proper guardrails in place, is a strategic decision about how your brand wants to compete. The technology and the partner ecosystem exist to make it real. The question is whether your marketing organization is structured to take advantage of it.
Ready to build a connected healthcare identity strategy?
Our team works with pharma brands to align identity, audience, and measurement across DTC and HCP programs. If you’re ready to close the gap between data and outcomes, let’s talk.
About the author
Kevin Dunn
Chief Revenue Officer, Experian
Kevin Dunn joins Experian Marketing Services with more than 20 years of leadership experience across marketing and advertising technology, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Brands and Agencies at LiveRamp. In that role, he led growth across retail, CPG, travel, hospitality, financial services, and healthcare, overseeing new business, account expansion, and channel partnerships.
Kevin is known for building cohesive, accountable teams and leading with optimism, clarity, and a strong sense of shared purpose. His leadership philosophy centers on empowering people, driving positive outcomes for clients and fostering a culture where teams can grow, take smart risks, and succeed together.
FAQs
Most pharma brands can’t connect a CTV ad exposure to a prescribing decision because their DTC and HCP data runs through three or four disconnected environments: consumer data, claims and NPI records, agency media reporting, and downstream analytics. Each handoff between those systems introduces potential data loss, and those losses add up across a campaign flight, leaving brands with channel-level reporting instead of a connected view of what actually moved prescribing behavior.
Building a connected identity strategy doesn’t mean combining DTC and HCP data into one data set. Healthcare data environments carry strict governance requirements, so DTC and HCP data need to stay separate for both regulatory and strategic reasons. A connected identity strategy links those separate environments through interoperable workflows rather than merging them into one data set.
Experian helps pharma brands connect DTC and HCP measurement without merging their data by running two distinct, governed identity paths: high-fidelity tokenized matching for DTC audiences and deterministic NPI-based resolution for HCP audiences, built on verified professional attributes like specialty and practice location. That structure lets brands measure performance across both audiences while keeping the underlying data separate.
The difference between deterministic and probabilistic matching in healthcare marketing comes down to certainty: probabilistic matching can support large-scale DTC reach where some statistical estimation is acceptable, while HCP targeting calls for certainty that only deterministic matching, typically based on verified NPI data, can provide. As healthcare audiences get more specific, the cost of an unverified match rises, which is why HCP resolution leans deterministic.
If a healthcare marketing team’s audience strategy isn’t translating into activation, the first thing to check is whether those audience segments can actually reach live publisher inventory. A lot of audience development happens in a spreadsheet or analytics tool and then stalls at activation because the IDs never connect to real media. Experian’s Audience Engine builds audience creation, onboarding, and activation into one workflow, backed by a marketplace of 19+ verified health data partners.
Latest posts
It’s been over a year since Google announced they’d be deprecating the third-party cookie and in that time there’s been a major focus on two types of cookieless identity solutions. Identity vendors and marketers are strategizing which of these two future solutions best fits their needs so they can achieve privacy-safe scale once third-party cookies are no longer available for use on Chrome. Let’s break down these solutions and the considerations marketers need to take into account when deciding what partners to move forward with in the future of identity resolution. Authenticated Traffic Solutions Authenticated traffic solutions (ATS) are a type of digital identification that asks the end-user to identify themselves via personal information, most commonly email address. Often, you’ll see self-authentication at the point of entry to a website that asks you to create an account or login immediately to access the content you are seeking. E-commerce sites use authentication to keep track of consumer purchases and inform advertising decisions for that customer; and publishers use it to tailor featured content, or, more importantly for this discussion, leverage it within the ad ecosystem for targeting. While authentication can provide very valuable user data for audience segmenting and targeting, it can be limited in scale for a single publisher to leverage and monetize on their own. That’s why some identity vendors have worked to integrate themselves within as many publisher authentication modules as possible, so that they can create an aggregate of scale for the ad ecosystem to tap into. But, even this isn’t going to deliver the reach marketers truly thirst for. Alternatively, Facebook has the scale for authenticated traffic, but they keep their data inside a walled garden, so the utility of those authenticated users is only valuable within the Facebook ecosystem. So how can authenticated traffic solutions increase scale to broaden the scope of identifiers they can collect and leverage? Hint: a few of the biggest players have already figured it out. It’s the single sign-on. Google is probably the largest purveyor of a single-sign on solution that can directly impact advertising capabilities. Can you think of a site you visit that doesn’t offer a sign-in with your existing Google account? It’s a short list. Google has integrated themselves into so many applications and publishers that “Login with Gmail” is just second nature (you pictured the Gmail logo when you read that, didn’t you?). Now, if you’re about to purchase something you found off an Instagram ad, or perhaps a retailer you buy from regularly, you’ve probably noticed options to proceed with your checkout via “Amazon pay” or “Apple pay”. These are also single-sign ons. You’re authenticating yourself through Amazon or Apple to that retailer in exchange for A- the safety and security that Amazon or Apple provide for your financial information and B- skipping the annoying process of manually entering personal information over and over again at point of sale. It’s starting to sound like there’s a lot of authenticated data out there isn’t it? Well, that’s true, but again, Amazon and Apple are walled gardens. Amazon is working diligently to build out their own ecosystem to leverage their content and retail channel data for a holistic offering. And Apple keeps user data very close to the chest, constantly limiting its utility for themselves and advertisers. So what is identity resolution doing about it? The Trade Desk announced their solution; Unified ID 2.0, which promises to leverage email authenticated identity for a truly scaled solution for publishers via Javascript through Prebid. 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Tapad launches global privacy-safe solution to provide continuity in the absence of third-party cookies Switchboard, a module within The Tapad Graph, will connect emerging cookieless identifiers to traditional IDs, creating a more holistic view of the consumer and driving value exchange within the advertising ecosystem Tapad, part of Experian, a global leader in cross-device digital identity resolution, and a part of Experian, announced today the launch of Switchboard, a first-of-its-kind solution to help navigate the evolving cookieless landscape. Switchboard, a module within The Tapad Graph, will operate as a global, privacy-safe solution to provide continuity in the absence of third-party cookies by connecting new cookieless identifiers to traditional digital IDs for a comprehensive view of consumers and their digital touchpoints. Switchboard will enable interoperability across the growing number of these digital identifiers and the value exchange between publishers, content creators and consumers. Leading digital identity solutions partnering with Tapad, part of Experian at the launch of Switchboard include Unified ID 2.0, ID5, Lotame Panorama ID, BritePool, Retargetly IDx and Audigent Halo ID. Tapad, part of Experian plans to expand support to additional identity solutions on an ongoing basis. In addition to these identity solutions, early partners across the ecosystem include The Trade Desk, Amobee, Martin, ShareThis, Eyeota and Catalina. “This diverse group of launch partners and testing customers will prove that Switchboard is an important tenet for the future of identity resolution. We’re excited to be proactive in our approach to give marketers time to adapt new solutions and test their function in tandem with the third-party cookie, while continuing to give our customers flexibility and control,” said Mark Connon, General Manager of Tapad, part of Experian. “Facilitating access and usage of 1st party identifiers is crucial to help marketers prepare for the cookieless future. Thanks to Switchboard, ID5’s cookieless IDs will be available to a wider audience of brands and agencies and enable them to run effective, data-driven campaigns beyond the third-party cookie,” said Mathieu Roche Co-founder & CEO of ID5. Switchboard provides value across the marketing and advertising ecosystem as the need for the ability to support multiple cookieless ID’s across ad tech increases throughout 2021. With a decade of expertise creating digital identity resolution products, Tapad, part of Experian is poised to solve this challenge through innovation and quality, privacy-safe data-driven solutions. “Interoperability is paramount for brand marketers, agencies, publishers and platforms if we want to support an open and free Internet and break free of the stranglehold of walled gardens,” said Pierre Diennet, Global Partnerships at Lotame. ”Lotame Panorama ID’s participation in Switchboard reflects our steadfast commitment to collaborating across and within the industry and providing value to all of its players.” “As advertisers continue to contemplate the future of identity, Amobee is proud to partner with Tapad, part of Experian on this next-generation solution to provide a comprehensive view of consumers,” says Bryan Everett, Senior Vice President of Global Business Development at Amobee. “With the imminent loss of cookies, advertisers must think creatively in order to respectfully engage consumers in a privacy-compliant way and Switchboard can play an important role in addressing their respective identity needs.” Tapad, part of Experian is welcoming identity solutions and Tapad Graph customer participation in Switchboard throughout 2021. Stayed tuned for more updates and information on Switchboard in the coming months. Get in touch
Adapt with Tapad, a part of Experian Leading browsers have made public announcements and technical deployments to reduce the digital advertising accessibility of third-party cookies for data collection, storage, and sharing due to growing privacy concerns. As a result, there has been growing momentum to find an alternative via cookieless IDs, with the intent to create a replacement that helps ensure continuity across the ecosystem. At Tapad we’ve chosen to approach the market with a solution that provides agnostic interoperability for these cookieless identifiers, so that marketers can continue to work with the identity providers of their choice while maintaining the most holistic view of consumers across digital touchpoints. Introducing switchboard Switchboard is a module within The Tapad Graph that leverages our core capabilities across machine learning and identity management to provide a connection between traditional digital identifiers and the new wave of cookieless IDs that will be utilized in the future. Customers of Tapad can take advantage of its broad ecosystem of identifiers to drive targeting and frequency capping strategies and enable detailed measurement and attribution post-deprecation of the third-party cookie. Our goal is to accelerate the adoption, scale, and utility of cookieless IDs with the release of the Switchboard module within The Tapad Graph, while maintaining an agnostic approach to the market. Switchboard for identity solutions In the evolving landscape agencies and marketers will need to invest, test, and analyze the best combination of cookieless ID partners to meet their objectives. The Switchboard module will increase the utility and value of the cookieless ID space in conjunction with other addressable IDs, by providing a layer of connectivity that will be natively missing with the deprecation of third-party cookies. Identity solutions at launch: Switchboard for graph customers For existing Tapad customers who leverage the Switchboard module in The Tapad Graph, it will provide a seamless way to facilitate interoperability while resolving identity back to a Household or Individual. By providing this translation layer, Tapad will take on the responsibility of encryption and decryption protocols where applicable, which will deliver added functionality to our customers. Tapad + Experian partners at launch: Use cases Resolve existing first-party data with new cookieless solutions through The Tapad Graph to minimize data loss Frequency cap at the Individual and Household level via Cookieless and traditional ID Reach consumers at scale across all touchpoints and IDs Build a more inclusive and holistic view of the consumer journey Run accurate and scalable measurement before and after the formal deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome Map online data into offline activities Hear why industry leaders are adapting with Tapad + Experian As advertisers continue to contemplate the future of identity, Amobee is proud to partner with Tapad, a part of Experian, on this next-generation solution to provide a comprehensive view of consumers. With the imminent loss of cookies, advertisers must think creatively in order to respectfully engage consumers in a privacy-compliant way and Switchboard can play an important role in addressing their respective identity needs. — Bryan Everett | Senior Vice President of Global Business Development | Amobee Connecting offline and online shopper activity in a privacy-compliant way is fundamental to marketing effectiveness and determining return on ad-spend. That’s why we’re excited to be a launch partner for Tapad + Experian’s Switchboard offering; it provides a unified solution for supporting the variety of proprietary and anonymous user ID standards required by advertising demand-side platforms today. — Brian Dunphy | SVP Digital Business and Strategic Partnerships | Catalina As the industry evolves, Tapad + Experian’s Switchboard presents a privacy-safe solution that allows for the continued activation of data and an alternative to advertising within walled garden environments. We look forward to collaborating with Tapad and the industry as we collectively transition to support cookieless identity. — Don Lee |SVP of Global Platform Partnerships | Eyeota We are excited to participate in this proactive solution to the sunset of third-party cookies. Switchboard’s agnostic interoperability, with BritePool and other ID providers, will create high-value for marketers as they transition to the era of cookieless web advertising. — David J. Moore | CEO | BritePool Interoperability is paramount for brand marketers, agencies, publishers and platforms if we want to support an open and free Internet and break free of the stranglehold of walled gardens. Lotame Panorama ID’s participation in Switchboard reflects our steadfast commitment to collaborating across and within the industry and providing value to all of its players. — Pierre Diennet | Global Partnerships | Lotame At this pivotal moment in the industry, we are excited to be partnering with Tapad, a part of Experian on their cookieless initiative and making Retargetly IDx available into the Switchboard solution, providing global brands, platforms and publishers with a compliant, cookieless ID solution for the Latin American market; enabling them to target, reach and measure users at scale through the region. — Daniel Czaplinski | CEO and Co-Founder | Retargetly With Audigent’s Halo ID, we’re architecting a cookieless future where clients and partners have confidence in the actionability and interoperability of exclusive 1st party audiences, originated from some of the world’s leading publishers and creators. We see collaboration as being critical to a collective understanding of identity and Tapad, a part of Experian as a trusted partner with solutions such as Switchboard to support continuity for marketers’ addressability. — Drew Stein | CEO and Founder | Audigent Facilitating access and usage of 1st party identifiers is crucial to help marketers prepare for the cookieless future. Thanks to Switchboard, ID5’s cookie-less IDs will be available to a wider audience of brands and agencies and enable them to run effective, data-driven campaigns beyond the third-party cookie. — Mathieu Roche | CEO and Co-Founder | ID5 Addressing the current identity challenge requires transparency and collaboration. We are pleased to align ShareThis data with Tapad + Experian’s growing ecosystem. ShareThis data helps marketers evolve beyond the cookie to complete the picture. Tapad + Experian’s Switchboard offering will support ShareThis’s deep connections to clients and technology platforms, preserving and growing the accessibility of our data. — Michael Gorman | SVP Product and Business Development | ShareThis Get in touch