Getting consumers to stop scrolling is only half the battle. Article by Emily Gallagher | Nov 2, 2026 Marketers have spent years finding ways to make consumers stop scrolling, watch longer, or notice a message. But those measures offer little indication of whether someone is actually interested in what the advertiser has to say. Advertisers need to look beyond attention and consider receptivity, or whether consumers are open to receiving a message in the first place, according to executives from PulsePoint, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), Gilead, and PHM at an Advertising Week New York panel. "There's attention, which is making sure they stop. There's receptivity, which is making sure they care," said Michael Caruso, senior director of commercial media strategy and planning at global biopharmaceutical company BMS. The challenge for marketers is identifying when that interest exists and delivering a message that makes the most of it. Attention doesn't guarantee interest. PulsePoint Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Stark offered a familiar scenario: Someone watching Formula One might not welcome an ad reminding them about a chronic illness. But that same person researching their condition on WebMD could be far more willing to engage. The difference comes down to context and intent. A consumer researching a health condition has already signaled an interest in learning more. Advertising delivered during that process may have a better chance of being useful than a message served simply because the consumer fits a demographic profile. The approach reflects a broader reconsideration of what attention metrics can tell advertisers. Viewability establishes whether an ad had the opportunity to be seen, while attention measurement seeks to determine whether consumers actually noticed and absorbed its message. But identifying intent is more complicated than tracking exposure. A consumer's behavior may suggest interest without revealing exactly what information they need or whether they're prepared to act. The right moment still needs the right message. Timing alone won't make an ad effective. Melissa Rossi, head of digital strategy at Gilead, emphasized that healthcare advertisers need to understand where patients and healthcare professionals are in their respective journeys before deciding what to communicate. A patient already taking a medication, for example, may benefit more from support resources or copay information than another advertisement explaining the condition. The stakes are growing as pharmaceutical marketers shift more spending toward digital channels that offer greater targeting capabilities. US healthcare and pharma connected TV (CTV) ad spending will reach $4.69 billion in 2026, up 23.7% YoY, according to EMARKETER's August forecast. CTV spending is expected to surpass linear TV by 2028. Meanwhile, healthcare and pharma B2B digital ad spending will reach $2.63 billion this year, up 15.2%, according to EMARKETER's August 2026 forecast. These investments give advertisers more opportunities to reach patients and physicians in relevant environments, but targeting capabilities alone cannot determine whether the message fits the moment. Caruso warned that advertisers also need creative variations suited to the signals they're using. Otherwise, increasingly sophisticated targeting risks delivering the same generic message to consumers with very different needs. Measure what happens after attention. Matching the message to the moment also changes what marketers should expect consumers to do next. A broad CTV awareness campaign shouldn't be measured against the same expectations as an ad targeting someone who has already demonstrated interest, Caruso argued. For the former, search lift might show that consumers want to learn more. For the latter, website engagement or other high-value actions could offer a clearer indication of progress. The panelists also emphasized connecting those indicators to business outcomes rather than treating individual engagement metrics as proof of effectiveness. That requires understanding how channels contribute at different stages of the consumer journey, especially when an awareness campaign generates interest that another channel eventually captures. For marketers, the next step is testing whether messages delivered during receptive moments produce stronger outcomes than comparable advertising delivered without those signals. Attention remains valuable. An ad still needs to be noticed before it can influence someone. But visibility shouldn't be confused with willingness to engage, much less evidence of a changed behavior. You've read 1 of 2 free articles this month. Get more articles - create your free account today!

OptimizeRx and PulsePoint Partner to Connect HCP Media Across the Funnel. Latest DSP integration expands buyer access to OptimizeRx point of care inventory through existing programmatic workflows. WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - OptimizeRx Corp. (the "Company") (Nasdaq: OPRX), a healthcare technology company helping life sciences companies reach and engage healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients at critical decision points, today announced a new partnership with PulsePoint, an award-winning programmatic platform advancing omnichannel healthcare marketing, that will make OptimizeRx's authenticated electronic health record (EHR) and e-prescribing inventory available to PulsePoint clients. The integration builds on both companies' efforts to make HCP media more connected. OptimizeRx is expanding programmatic access to point of care inventory that historically was only purchased through direct or specialized channels, while PulsePoint brings that inventory and 250,000 incremental NPIs into its platform designed to coordinate HCP media activation, optimization, and reporting. Together, the companies are making point of care easier to incorporate into the broader media plan rather than managing it as a separate buy. Reducing Fragmentation Across the HCP Media Plan The partnership helps close a longstanding gap in omnichannel HCP marketing. Digital HCP media can build awareness and consideration over time. The EHR adds a lower-funnel layer closer to prescribing, delivering relevant information within the clinical workflow. Yet EHR media has historically been planned and purchased separately from other digital channels. By bringing OptimizeRx inventory into PulsePoint, marketers can more easily extend broader HCP campaigns into EHR and e-prescribing workflows within a connected programmatic strategy. "Omnichannel gets harder when high-value channels live in separate buying environments," said Stephen Silvestro, CEO of OptimizeRx. "Our work with PulsePoint removes a layer of fragmentation, making it easier for brands and agencies to put point of care to work alongside the rest of their media investments." "OptimizeRx extends the scale of in-workflow EHR engagement we can offer clients to fuel their comprehensive omnichannel HCP strategies," said Keith Matt, Group Vice President of Sales at PulsePoint. "Paired with our broader EHR footprint and real-time activation, optimization, and reporting, clients get more reach, more control, and clearer visibility across every campaign." Extending Programmatic Reach at the Point of Care PulsePoint is among the first DSPs to integrate OptimizeRx's authenticated EHR inventory since OptimizeRx opened its network to programmatic buying in June 2026. The integration will give PulsePoint clients access to incremental NPIs through OptimizeRx's point of care network and bring PulsePoint's programmatic EHR reach to over 1 million NPIs. OptimizeRx's authenticated EHR inventory is expected to be available to advertisers using PulsePoint in November 2026. About OptimizeRx OptimizeRx is a leading healthcare technology company that's redefining how life science brands connect with patients and healthcare providers. Our platform combines innovative AI-driven tools like the Dynamic Audience Activation Platform (DAAP) and Micro-Neighborhood(R) Targeting (MNT) to deliver timely, relevant, and hyper-local engagement. By bridging the gap between HCP and DTC strategies, we empower brands to create synchronized marketing solutions that drive faster treatment decisions and improved patient outcomes. Our commitment to privacy-safe, patient-centric technology ensures that every interaction is designed to make a meaningful impact, delivering life-changing therapies to the right patients at the right time. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, OptimizeRx partners with some of the world's leading pharmaceutical and life sciences companies to transform the healthcare landscape and create a healthier future for all. About PulsePoint PulsePoint, a division of Internet Brands, is an award-winning technology company that uses real-world data in real time to optimize campaign performance and revolutionize health decision-making. Leveraging proprietary datasets and methodology, PulsePoint helps brands engage healthcare professionals and consumer populations with an unprecedented level of accuracy to deliver unparalleled results to the clients it serves. For more information, visit pulsepoint.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "will", "is", "brings", "helps", "removes", "extends", "improve" or other similar words and expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. All statements in this press release that reflect the Company's expectations, assumptions, projections, beliefs or opinions about the future, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements relating to the ability to make HCP media more connected, the Company's efforts to make point of care easier to incorporate into the broader media plan and remove fragmentation, the ability to close a longstanding gap in omnichannel HCP marketing, the ability of digital HCP media to build awareness and consideration over time, the ability of marketers to more easily extend broader HCP campaigns into EHR and e-prescribing workflows within a connected programmatic strategy, the Company's ability to remove fragmentation making it easier for brands and agencies to put point of care to work alongside other media investments, the ability of clients to get more reach, more control, or clearer visibility across every campaign, and the ability to increase PulsePoint clients' programmatic EHR reach to over 1 million NPIs. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and involve assumptions regarding the Company's business, the economy, and other future conditions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted, or quantified. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the effect of government regulation, seasonal trends, dependence on a concentrated group of customers, cybersecurity incidents that could disrupt operations, the ability to keep pace with growing and evolving technology, the ability to maintain contracts with eRx platforms and EHR networks, competition, and other factors discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and in other filings the Company has made and may make with the SEC in the future. One should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as may be required by law. OptimizeRx Investor Relations Contact Douglas Farrell LifeSci Advisors, LLC [email protected] OptimizeRx Press Inquiries Matter Communications [email protected] OptimizeRx Partnership Inquiries Louis Trivento, SVP Strategic Partnerships [email protected]