EXCLUSIVE: Cannes Lions Grand Prix winner, Jain discusses programmatic solutions in healthcare marketing

By Zion Rufus

Harshit Jain discusses the transformative potential of programmatic marketing in the healthcare industry and the importance of collaboration for effective healthcare marketing.

As programmatic technology continues to evolve, it now holds immense potential to shape the future of healthcare marketing and driving better outcomes for both brands and Healthcare Professionals (HCPs); Brands that readily leverage this technology will reach HCPs at scale, and deliver targeted messages at the right time and through the right channels.

In an exclusive interview with Marketing Edge, Harshit Jain, MD, Founder, and Global CEO of Doceree, a leading pharmaceutical advertising and healthcare marketing company, shared his insights on the future of programmatic marketing in the healthcare sector and the importance of collaboration for effective healthcare marketing strategies.

With numerous industry awards to his name, including the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Good and India’s first Black Pencil at D&AD Awards, his achievements have significantly influenced his approach to healthcare marketing and innovation.

In his conversation with Marketing Edge, Jain emphasized the power of creative data utilization in addressing critical health challenges and leveraging insights from various datasets to build solution-centric campaigns.

He envisions programmatic marketing as the future of HCP marketing, offering a viable and affordable approach for life sciences brands to reach healthcare professionals.

“Programmatic technology undoubtedly is the future of HCP marketing as it is the most viable and affordable way of buying and selling media,” Jain said, noting that it makes it feasible for life sciences brands to reach HCPs at scale to showcase their messages at the opportune moments and on the right channels.

“To publishers, it provides the opportunity to engage HCPs on their platform effectively with highly contextual messages that are of immense value to them,” he stated further.

The Doceree CEO also highlighted emerging trends and technologies that excite him in the field of programmatic marketing.

He emphasized the significance of first-party data in making contextual messaging more meaningful and engaging HCPs within their clinical workflow based on their actions.

Additionally, the adoption of account-based marketing, targeting specific specialties across secondary-based institutions like hospitals and research institutes, is expected to provide a decisive boost to the pharma marketing space.

Discussing the importance of collaboration, Jain emphasized that a cohesive ecosystem involving pharma brands, physicians, and digital platforms is crucial for effective healthcare marketing.

Such collaboration benefits all stakeholders. Pharma brands can target HCPs more efficiently within an integrated setting, while platforms can engage physicians effectively by providing information tailored to their specific needs. HCPs, in turn, can provide better patient care when equipped with timely and relevant information.

With the continued advancements in technology and collaboration among stakeholders, the future of healthcare marketing holds immense promise for delivering personalized and effective strategies that enhance patient outcomes.

Looking ahead, programmatic marketing will also continue to revolutionize the healthcare industry, unleashing its transformative power to engage healthcare professionals effectively.

This will also enable life sciences brands to showcase their products and services to HCPs in a cost-effective and efficient manner; and by leveraging programmatic capabilities, brands can engage these professionals with highly contextual and valuable messages, enhancing the overall effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

Over the years, Harshit Jain’s healthcare marketing background has provided him with a keen understanding of utilizing datasets to create innovative campaigns. This fusion of perspectives has been instrumental in shaping Doceree as a distinct player in the industry.

Jain is also the co-creator of “The Immunity Charm”, a campaign that swept the Cannes Health and Pharma Lions category in 2017.

The Immunity Charm which was created by McCann for the Ministry of Public Health of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, had won a Grand Prix for Good, and dominated the Pharma category with four gold, four silver, and a bronze.

Jain later moved to invest in Doceree in 2019.

Today, leveraging his background in medicine and marketing, Jain combines insights from both domains to develop out-of-the-box ideas and campaigns in the healthcare sector.

His early experience in medicine also enables him to navigate the intricate landscape of regulations and compliance when delivering brand messages to HCPs.

Over the years, he and his team have developed solution-centric campaigns to fill gaps in the pharma marketing landscape as Doceree now plays a pivotal role in facilitating the needed collaboration, and creating a unified ecosystem where all stakeholders can thrive.