Questions to Ask in a Healthcare DSP Demo
Scenario-based questions that force a healthcare DSP demo to show live evidence, not slides, on targeting, controls, supply, and reporting.
The short answer
DSP demos are designed to impress. They show the smoothest workflows, the best-looking dashboards, and the most favorable examples. For a healthcare buyer, the useful part of a demo is what the platform can do under your specific conditions. A scripted demo with scenario-based questions makes the vendor show, not tell.
Send the scenarios in advance. A vendor that needs time to prepare is fine. A vendor that cannot demonstrate a scenario live is telling you something.
Scenario 1: HCP list activation
"Upload this sample list of 1,000 NPIs. Show us the match process, the match rate by specialty, and how we would see verified reach after a campaign."
Listen for: whether match is deterministic or probabilistic, how match rate is calculated, and whether reach reporting uses the full list as denominator.
Scenario 2: Sensitive category exclusions
"Show us how to exclude sensitive content categories and specific domains or apps. Then show a placement report proving the exclusions worked in a past campaign."
Listen for: granularity of controls and whether reporting is detailed enough to verify.
Scenario 3: Frequency control across devices
"We want to cap exposures at five per household per week across CTV and online video. Show us how, and show the frequency distribution report."
Listen for: whether caps apply across devices and channels, and whether reporting shows the distribution, not just an average.
Scenario 4: Supply path transparency
"Show us, for a sample CTV campaign, the seller, the app, and the supply path for each impression."
Listen for: whether you can see the full path, including resellers. See ads.txt, sellers.json, and SupplyChain objects.
Scenario 5: Fee breakdown
"For this sample campaign, show the full cost from gross spend to media cost, with each fee line."
Listen for: clarity about platform, data, and tech fees. See DSP fee transparency.
Scenario 6: Log-level data
"Show us a sample log-level data file and its field list. How is it delivered and how long is it retained?"
Listen for: field completeness and privacy handling. See log-level data requests.
Scenario 7: Something goes wrong
"A campaign starts overpacing and serving to a domain that should be excluded. Walk us through how we would find out and fix it."
Listen for: alerting, speed of diagnosis, and who at the vendor helps.
Score as you go
| Scenario | Shown live? | Met requirement? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCP list activation | |||
| Sensitive exclusions | |||
| Cross-device frequency | |||
| Supply path | |||
| Fee breakdown | |||
| Log-level data | |||
| Incident response |
Anything answered with "we can send that later" gets scored after it arrives, not during the demo.
Practical takeaway
Send scenarios a week before the demo. Score only what is shown live or provided in writing. Compare vendors on the same scorecard, then pilot the top one or two.
Sources
External guidance and platform documentation change. Links were current at publication; check them again before relying on them for a decision.
Editorial note. Analysis and frameworks are the author's own and do not represent Acxiom or any current or former employer, client, or named platform. Examples labeled hypothetical or illustrative are not results from real campaigns. Nothing here is legal, regulatory, or medical advice.
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