LAS VEGAS – Healthcare marketers are increasingly treating TV as the starting point for omnichannel strategy as connected TV adoption reaches critical mass and measurement improves, said Baron Harper, general manager of business development at The Trade Desk.
Speaking with Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at CES 2026, Harper said the industry is moving beyond simply showing up on many platforms toward orchestrating them to drive outcomes.
“TV has really become the starting point of omnichannel marketing in healthcare,” Harper said. “The distinction with omnichannel is really the orchestration of all those touchpoints so they complement each other and move a patient or physician toward an outcome.”
TV as launchpad for omnichannel engagement
Harper described TV as a mass reach and highly engaging medium that now benefits from digital signals. Those signals allow marketers to decide what comes next after a TV exposure.
“TV is a starting point, but then what’s the next best action?” he said. “What’s the next best engagement when they’re on their phone, on their computer or on a digital out of home screen?”
That sequencing, he added, is powered by the scale of connected TV adoption. The ability to follow exposure with relevant follow-ups across channels helps brands start a conversation on TV and continue it elsewhere.
Audience targeting and actionable signals
According to Harper, healthcare marketers can now make TV more actionable than in the past by using data and partnerships to reach the right audiences at the right time.
“We can target relevant ads to relevant audiences at relevant times,” he said. “Beyond that, we’re able to manage frequency and control the experience that a patient or an HCP has with the brand.”
Those capabilities extend into measurement. Harper said marketers can increasingly tie exposure to high value actions such as doctor visits and prescriptions.
“We have the signals to measure the outcomes,” he said. “Ultimately that leads to more effectiveness.”
What precision at scale really means
The phrase precision at scale is often used loosely, Harper noted, but he broke it into two parts. Precision comes from better targeting and data partnerships that help identify the right audiences.
“The precision is about being able to target those relevant users with relevant ads,” he said.
Scale, however, goes beyond premium CTV inventory. It includes the ability to continue the conversation across devices and channels.
“It’s really important to be able to see that user not only on the TV, but then again when they’re on their phone or on their computer,” Harper said. That continuity supports education and brings patients and physicians together around treatment decisions.
Measurement pressure reshapes TV budgets
Healthcare marketers face intense scrutiny to prove that media spend drives outcomes, Harper said, especially amid regulatory changes, pricing pressure, inflation and patent cliffs.
“TV budgets can be upwards around 50% of a brand’s total budget,” he said. “That’s way too large of an investment to sit outside of measurement.”
He argued that this pressure is accelerating budget shifts from linear TV to connected TV. With digital signals, marketers can link exposure to performance and ROI.
“Now that allows marketers to prove the efficacy of the investment,” Harper said.
Transparency as the next opportunity
Looking ahead, Harper said healthcare marketers are becoming more innovative, but many still focus more on where they buy ads than how they buy them.
“It’s one thing to say you’re buying ads on premium CTV inventory,” he said. “But if you’re not analyzing the supply path, money can be siphoned off and waste can build up.”
The marketers who succeed, Harper argued, will demand greater transparency and rigor.
“The marketers who win are going to be the ones who really understand the value of the ads they’re buying,” he said. “Your media has to be accountable to outcomes.”
You’re watching “Omnichannel Starts with TV: The Evolving Role of TV in Healthcare Marketing”, a Beet.TV Leadership Series, presented by Swoop. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
