At Media Bridge, our approach to scaling health brands is rooted in strategic balance rather than a “one-size-fits-all” spend. High-reach tactics like linear TV, radio, out-of-home, and certain digital tactics are powerful tools, but they are most effective when audience scale and operational infrastructure are aligned. We view these channels as the engines of brand recognition, vital for building the broad-market credibility that makes a brand a trusted household name.
However, high-reach awareness without a direct path to conversion can lead to inefficiency. The goal is not just to generate noise, but to guide a patient toward a better health outcome. As the patient journey becomes more complex, even the most successful awareness campaign needs a bridge to reach the finish line. We believe the missing link for driving patient outcomes often lies in the strategic integration of Point of Care (POC). Historically viewed as a ‘nice to have,’ POC is an under-utilized tactic that ensures the brand recognition established in the living room is seamlessly carried into the exam room at the critical moment of decision.
Moving Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Lift
The move toward POC is a strategic response to the measurable performance of a full-funnel omnichannel mix. Data confirms that the synergy between digital and POC creates a result significantly greater than the sum of its parts. For example, a Veeva Crossix case study found that patients exposed to both digital and POC ads were 200x more likely to convert.
Most notably, while POC represented only 14% of the total media investment in that study, it generated 35% of all new patient starts. This concentrated efficiency proves that POC is far more than a “nice to have” addition; it is a high-impact driver that ensures the awareness built through high-reach tactics is successfully converted into clinical action.
The Multiplier Effect: Awareness Meets Action
This concentrated efficiency is rooted in trust. Recent research from Ipsos indicates that patients rank POC among their top four most trusted sources for health information, sitting just behind doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.
This credibility directly impacts measurable health behaviors. Patients exposed to POC ads show significantly higher rates of treatment initiation, with 59% filling their prescriptions compared to 48% of unexposed patients. By reinforcing the brand message in this high-trust environment, we aren’t just building awareness; we are providing the final layer of confidence a patient needs to follow through with their care plan.
The Media Bridge Philosophy: A Balanced Funnel
At Media Bridge, we help our clients move away from one-size-fits-all thinking toward a strategy that values the unique contribution of every touchpoint.
Seamless Omnichannel Integration: Through our partnership with PulsePoint, we have the ability to scale and target across an expansive ecosystem of POC inventory. This allows us to buy “medical-grade” inventory across multiple disparate networks through a single, sophisticated platform. This ensures the narrative established in high-reach media is reinforced and validated the moment a patient enters the clinical setting.
Strategic Specialization: We recognize that different channels have different jobs. We use tactics like linear TV for reach and reputation, and POC for relevance and results.
Full-Funnel Accountability: By including POC, we create a resilient strategy that supports the patient from first impression to final prescription, ensuring every dollar works toward a measurable outcome.
Conclusion: Closing the Loop
As we move into 2026, the industry is moving beyond the idea of broad targeting toward a sophisticated era of clinical relevance. This shift is driven by massive improvements in the ability to target and tie media directly to performance.
A prime example is the evolution of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, which is a critical offshoot of the POC ecosystem. We now have the opportunity to buy inventory triggered by real-time clinical data, such as a specific ICD-10 diagnostic code being entered or a specific lab result being uploaded. This allows for an unparalleled level of relevance by placing your brand in front of the provider at the exact millisecond a treatment decision is being made.
Historically, POC may have been under-appreciated. This was not due to a lack of effectiveness, but rather due to the limitations in proving that effectiveness. Today, those barriers are reduced. AI-driven tools can now match provider profiles with 95% accuracy compared to 70% using traditional methods. Real-time data now allows us to verify the impact of every impression with absolute confidence.
The health brands that will lead this year and beyond are those that recognize an omnichannel approach is the most empathetic and effective way to serve patients. By marrying the undeniable power of digital and linear media with the clinical precision of POC and EHR, we create a more resilient, data-backed path forward. At Media Bridge, we are ready to help our partners navigate this advanced landscape, bringing expert rigor and human clarity to every stage of the funnel.