GEO SYMPTOM SOLUTIONSAnurag Jain

• Method of reach• Content Categorization

• User Categorization based on site usage and declared information

• Scale for WebMD• WebMD serves 2.6 billion pageviews a quarter

• That are consumed by 125.5 million unique users a month

• Key challenge publishers face• Relevant message can be given to users “after” they show interest in category.

• For many short-lived conditions, the message needs to reach users “before” they show clear interest.

PUBLISHERS REACHING USERS

• Identify “correct” geographic locations for area of interest

• Reach users if they belong to the geographic location of interest

• Adjust locations regularly to redirect reach as the target audience changes

HYPOTHESIS

Data Source – Symptom Checker

• Uses defined vocabulary

• 40-50 MM USA visitors a year entering symptoms, spending on an average over 5 mins per visit

• Data consists of symptoms, qualifiers, and body locations entered by site visitors

WebMD Symptom Checker Data Summary

Sample Conditions(user shown multiple possible conditions)

• Influenza (Adult)• Acute sinusitis • Gastroenteritis• Abscess• Irritable bowel syndrome

Sample Body locations and Qualifiers• Pain or discomfort (Legs) - sharp or stabbing• Difficulty sleeping – made worse by alcohol• Cough – Worse at night• Fever - over 103.5 F (high) • Weakness – made worse by heat• Weakness – better with rest

Sample Symptoms• Pain or discomfort• Headache• Fever• Numbness or tingling• Dizziness

Seasonality of Flu (over 4 years)

Population Proportion for ILI (Influenza like Illnesses) per week during Flu seasons

Variability of Symptoms

Western Cities

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Geographical VariabilityEastern Cities

• Aggregate data by Geo Location DMA, Designated Market Area

• Apply Statistical model to:• Mark DMAs with high/medium/low levels of activity

• Identify DMAs with clearly high level of activity with 95% confidence

• Pick top DMAs with highest level of activity

Process

• Symptom Checker data aggregated at State and County level for map

Information Product – Geo Map

(Dec 18, 2012)

• Data aggregated at DMA level

• Compared with baseline to find areas under flu

• Make identified areas available for online and offline reach

Commercial Product: Geo Symptom Targeting

• Reaching users at WebMD based on inferred location

• Reaching users through Audience Extension

• Making data available for use by customer

• Supply chain management

• Better offline reach for users

Commercial Product: Geo Symptom Targeting

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WebMD/CDC Comparison:December Week 1

WebMD (Week ending 12/1/12)

CDC(Week ending 12/1/12)

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WebMD/CDC Comparison:December Week 3

WebMD (Week ending 12/15/12)

CDC (Week ending 12/15/12)

WebMD/CDC Data Correlation

WebMD data ahead of CDC

• Data highly correlated with gold standard of CDC

• Data available 1-2 weeks in advance of CDC as well as other Rx/Dx sources

• Being driven from declared symptoms, the data is more precise than search queries

• Targeting possible at custom group of Symptoms

Advantage Over Similar Products

• Geo Symptom Targeting works for conditions• that are seasonal and

• that vary geographically

• Significant improvement to ROI • Based on IRI study of the program for 2012-13 flu season

• Improved client interest for the product • More than doubled committed revenue for 2013-14 flu season

• Multiple customers interested in product for next year

The results are in…

• Predictive models for better planning

• Other countries of interest• Looking into UK, Canada and Australia

• Bio Surveillance - Identify unusual levels of activities and raise alerts

• Find information in other sources of data at WebMD• Health Checks• User Registration• Quizzes

What’s next for WebMD

Contact:Anurag Jain

VP Engineering, WebMD

anurag@webmd.net

Questions