In life sciences marketing, relevance is everything. As patients and caregivers navigate complex health decisions, their needs—and openness to information—change depending on where they are in their disease journey. This is where thoughtful, strategic media planning becomes crucial.
By segmenting audiences based on stages of their health experience—from newly diagnosed to long-term disease management—brands can offer more empathetic, effective engagement. Our team used this approach at Razorfish. However, with today’s tools, including AI, precision targeting, and data-informed optimization, we can meet patients where they are more effectively than ever, with the right message, on the right channel, at the right time.
Segmenting by Disease Journey Stage
A foundational step is mapping out key patient journey stages. While each condition may differ, common segments include:
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Newly Diagnosed: Often anxious and information-hungry, these patients are searching for clarity.
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Treatment Initiation: Starting a prescription product, likely needing education, encouragement, and support.
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Ongoing Management: Focused on compliance, side-effect management, and lifestyle integration.
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Lapsed or Switching: Patients whose adherence has dropped or are seeking new treatment options.
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Caregivers and Support Networks: Especially relevant for pediatric, geriatric, or cognitive conditions.
Channel-Specific Tactics Across the Journey
Each phase benefits from a different media mix. Here’s how to align channels with patient needs:
1. Search
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Newly Diagnosed: Paid search can capture high-intent queries like “symptoms of X” or “what does a diagnosis of Y mean?”
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Optimization Tip: Use AI-driven dynamic keyword insertion and query clustering to personalize ads to actual search behavior.
2. Paid Media
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Treatment Initiation & Adherence: Retargeting and programmatic display can nurture patients with support resources.
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Compliance Consideration: Messaging must comply with DTC and privacy guidelines; AI can help flag sensitive content for review.
3. Social Media
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Early & Mid Journey: Social ads or influencer partnerships can humanize the experience and normalize treatment.
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Later Stage: Closed communities or moderated groups on platforms like Facebook or Reddit can provide peer-driven support.
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Note: Be cautious with targeting sensitive conditions; use aggregated audience segments and obtain explicit consent if needed.
4. Email
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Initiation & Ongoing Management: Email campaigns can deliver dosing reminders, lifestyle tips, or new resources.
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Personalization: AI can segment by open behavior, CTR, and time-to-action, optimizing send times and content relevance.
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Compliance: Avoid over-personalizing without prior opt-in, especially in stigmatized or sensitive therapeutic areas.
5. Websites (Branded & Unbranded)
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Early Journey: Unbranded sites can provide unbiased disease education and decision aids.
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Mid-to-Late Journey: Branded sites should support treatment onboarding, FAQs, and refill support.
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Optimization: Use AI heat mapping, session replays, and A/B testing to continuously improve site experience.
AI’s Role in Media Planning
AI can drive precision at scale—but only when used thoughtfully. Applications include:
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Predictive segmentation models based on engagement signals
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Personalized content generation and recommendation engines
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Automated campaign optimization based on real-time performance
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Natural language processing to identify patient sentiment from forums and reviews
However, ethical boundaries matter. For some conditions, even anonymous targeting may feel invasive. Be transparent in data use, honor privacy regulations (HIPAA, GDPR), and avoid assumptions about diagnosis or behavior.
Measurement: What to Track and Why
Each channel offers unique data signals, but look for convergence. Key metrics include:
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Search & Web: Clickthrough rate, bounce rate, search terms, time on site
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Social & Paid Media: Engagement rate, frequency caps, audience overlap
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Email: Open rates, CTA conversion, unsubscribe rates
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Overall: Journey progression (from awareness to conversion), not just clicks
Tie metrics back to outcomes like prescription fills, adherence improvements, or HCP conversations, where possible and compliant.