Insulet / Omnipod — Type 1 Diabetes Audience (UK)
Built in response to client feedback (July 2026): narrow the NHS prescription layer to type 1, and map the search-intent clusters onto Insulet's Global PWD Segmentation.
Two aggregate, cookie-free layers: (1) NHS prescription data narrowed to insulin, hypo rescue and monitoring, then sharpened with a ratio-based Type 1 Index; (2) search listening with one intent cluster per Insulet segment, plus two cross-cutting clusters (newly diagnosed, and parents of a child with T1). Neither layer infers or labels an individual's health status.
Type 1 Narrowed NHS Prescription List
The problem with a plain "insulin" filter. Insulin alone does not equal type 1. A large share of advanced type 2 patients are also insulin-treated, so a raw "insulin" filter would hand Insulet an audience heavily diluted with late-stage T2. To get real T1 focus we cut the T2 oral/injectable agents entirely, and then use ratio-based discriminators rather than raw insulin volume.
The included NHS drug set
| Category | Substances (from the NHS list) | UK brands |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid-acting analogue insulin (the pump signal) | Insulin aspart, Insulin lispro, Insulin glulisine | NovoRapid, Fiasp, Humalog, Lyumjev, Apidra |
| Long-acting / basal analogue | Insulin glargine, Insulin detemir, Insulin degludec | Lantus, Toujeo, Abasaglar, Levemir, Tresiba |
| Human & isophane insulin | Soluble (neutral) insulin, Insulin human, Isophane insulin | Actrapid, Humulin S, Humulin I, Insulatard |
| Biphasic / mixed insulin | Biphasic isophane, Biphasic insulin aspart, Biphasic insulin lispro | Humulin M3, NovoMix 30, Humalog Mix25/50 |
| Hypo rescue | Glucagon; OTC glucose tablets / liquid / gel; slow-release carbohydrate powder | GlucaGen HypoKit, Ogluo, GlucoGel, Dextrogel, Lift, GlucoTabs |
| Monitoring | CGM sensors (interstitial glucose), glucose blood testing reagents, ketone blood testing reagents | Freestyle Libre, Dexcom |
Exclude — type 2 agents
Dropped from the Insulet build: Metformin (+ combos), sulfonylureas (gliclazide, glimepiride, glipizide, glibenclamide, tolbutamide), gliptins (sitagliptin, vildagliptin, saxagliptin, linagliptin, alogliptin + metformin combos), SGLT2 inhibitors (dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, canagliflozin, ertugliflozin + combos), GLP-1 / dual agonists (semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide, dulaglutide, exenatide, lixisenatide), insulin+GLP-1 fixed combos (Suliqua, Xultophy), meglitinides (repaglinide, nateglinide), pioglitazone, acarbose, bromocriptine, colesevelam, and complication/adjacent drugs (finerenone, fenofibrate, bezafibrate, telmisartan with diuretic). Diazoxide and nicotinamide are edge cases with no meaningful T1 targeting value — excluded.
Note: dapagliflozin briefly held a UK/EU type 1 adjunct licence before that indication was withdrawn. Excluded here and should stay excluded.
The four discriminators that actually isolate type 1
The strongest single discriminator. Routine DKA-risk monitoring is standard in T1 and uncommon in T2. High ketone-strip dispensing is the cleanest T1 fingerprint on the whole NHS list.
Pump therapy delivers basal as rapid-acting insulin, so pump users draw rapid-acting with no long-acting script. Most commercially relevant pattern in the build: indexes Insulet's existing and competitive pump base directly.
Prescribed near-universally in T1, far less routinely in T2.
Now near-universal in UK type 1 care — high sensor volume alongside points 01–03 compounds the T1 signal.
The ratio that makes the layer T1-specific
T1 Index = (rapid-acting insulin + CGM sensors + ketone reagents + glucagon)
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(metformin + sulfonylureas + gliptins + SGLT2 + GLP-1 volume)A high index = an area where diabetes prescribing skews toward insulin-dependent, technology-supported, DKA-monitored care — i.e. type 1 dense, not just diabetes dense. Rank postcode sectors by this index and weight all delivery toward the top decile. Refresh quarterly (EPD publishes monthly). Geographic weighting overlay only — never individual-level targeting.
Search Intent Clusters Mapped to the PWD Segmentation
The client's read is the right one: these personas differ most in how actively they search rather than what they're eventually prescribed. Optimizers and Cautious Controllers self-educate hard and arrive at the HCP with a product in mind; Routine Protectors and Struggling Strivers are far less likely to be searching for a device unprompted. That gap is exactly what search-listening captures — and it's why this audience reaches people before the HCP recommendation rather than waiting on it.
| Insulet segment | Search engagement | Query signature |
|---|---|---|
| Optimizers | Very high | Comparison, spec, latest-tech, performance optimisation |
| Cautious Controllers | High | Pros/cons, risk, eligibility, reassurance-seeking |
| Struggling Strivers | Medium, problem-led | Emotional, symptom, "why won't this work" help-seeking |
| Routine Protectors | Low, logistics-led | Practical, maintenance, "simple/easy," lifestyle-fit |
Six intent clusters — one per persona, plus two cross-cutting
Every keyword is inspectable. Split creative by persona — the same message will not work across Optimizers and Struggling Strivers.
Optimizers — Tech-Forward Performance Searchers
Description. Highly engaged, tech-savvy patients actively optimising their outcomes. They search like enthusiasts: head-to-head device comparisons, closed-loop and AID systems, sensor integration, firmware and app capability, time-in-range improvement. Highest search velocity of the four segments and the most brand- and spec-aware.
Why it matters for Insulet. This segment shortlists devices before a clinic conversation and will ask their team for Omnipod 5 by name. They are also the most likely to switch. Capturing them at the comparison stage is the highest-leverage moment in the whole funnel.
Cautious Controllers — Reassurance & Eligibility Researchers
Description. Highly engaged and control-driven, but wary of added complexity. Their searches are evaluative and risk-oriented: pros and cons, side effects, failure modes, NHS eligibility criteria, and whether a pump will give them more control without more burden. They read reviews heavily and want to be talked out of their doubts.
Why it matters for Insulet. This segment wants customisable therapy — exactly Omnipod's proposition — but stalls on perceived complexity and risk. Content and creative that answer "is it worth it, am I eligible, what if it fails" convert them. They are also the segment most likely to research NHS funding criteria before approaching their team.
Struggling Strivers — Burden & Control Help-Seekers
Description. Lower engagement and struggling to sustain control, but highly motivated to find something better. Their searches are problem-led and emotional rather than product-led: unpredictable blood sugars, hypo fear, burnout, injection fatigue, "why won't my HbA1c come down." They are not searching for a pump — they're searching for relief.
Why it matters for Insulet. The largest untapped opportunity in the segmentation. They will never type "Omnipod 5," so a brand-term strategy misses them entirely. Reaching them requires intercepting the problem query and introducing the pump as the answer. Creative should lead with burden relief and control, not device specification. Highest incremental-reach value in the plan.
Routine Protectors — Simplicity & Lifestyle-Fit Searchers
Description. Established routines, low search engagement, and primarily interested in treatments that streamline management without disrupting daily life. Queries are logistical and lifestyle-oriented: discretion, wearing it, exercise, swimming, travel, supply ordering, how long a pod lasts. They are not shopping — they are checking whether something fits.
Why it matters for Insulet. Tubeless, discreet, waterproof-friendly and simple to wear is precisely the Omnipod story, and this segment's objections are practical rather than clinical. Low search volume per person means keyword targeting alone under-delivers — this is where the NHS geographic overlay and DOOH reach do the heavy lifting, with search as the confirmation layer.
Newly Diagnosed Type 1
Description. Not one of Insulet's four personas, but a distinct and high-value entry point: adults newly diagnosed with T1 (including LADA / late-onset), still forming their entire treatment routine. Search is dense, urgent, and educational.
Why it matters for Insulet. Device expectations are set in the first year. Reaching people while their routine is still forming — before habit locks in around MDI — shortens the path to pump adoption considerably.
Parents & Carers of a Child with Type 1
Description. Also outside the PWD segmentation (which surveys patients), but critical for Insulet: in paediatric T1 the searcher and decision-maker is the parent, not the patient. Queries centre on school care, night-time safety, and age-appropriate devices.
Why it matters for Insulet. Paediatric T1 is a core tubeless-pump market — no tubing is a major advantage for children, and parents are intensely research-driven and community-influenced. Worth flagging to the client as an addition to their four-segment model rather than an alternative.
Segment summary
| Cluster | Insulet segment | Engagement | Creative angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech-Forward Performance Searchers | Optimizers | Very high | Spec, comparison, latest AID tech, time in range |
| Reassurance & Eligibility Researchers | Cautious Controllers | High | Pros/cons honesty, NHS eligibility, control without complexity |
| Burden & Control Help-Seekers | Struggling Strivers | Medium, problem-led | Relief from burden — lead with the problem, not the device |
| Simplicity & Lifestyle-Fit Searchers | Routine Protectors | Low, logistics-led | Tubeless, discreet, fits your life, nothing to relearn |
| Newly Diagnosed Type 1 | Addition | High, urgent | Set the routine early, options from day one |
| Parents & Carers of a Child with T1 | Addition | High | Tubeless for kids, night-time confidence, school-ready |
| T1 Index prescription overlay | Weighting layer | — | Concentrate delivery in T1-dense postcode sectors |
Activation notes
Type 1-narrowed NHS prescription geography + persona-mapped search intent. Runs identically across display, video, CTV, mobile and DOOH.
Apply the prescription overlay to all six clusters so delivery concentrates in genuinely T1-dense areas rather than general diabetes areas.
The four Insulet segments need materially different messages — the same creative will not work across Optimizers and Struggling Strivers.
They will never search a brand term, so they are invisible to a conventional paid-search strategy and represent the clearest net-new audience this build unlocks.
Pharmacies (Boots, Lloyds, Well), supermarkets, hospital and diabetes-clinic corridors, and transit in top-decile T1 Index postcode sectors.
Device search terms move fast (new pump and sensor launches) and EPD publishes monthly.
Insulin, pumps and DKA are regulated territory — no medical claims or outcome guarantees in creative.
Built by AMAP Data / Goldfish Ads — Insulet / Omnipod UK build, July 2026. Segmentation source: Insulet Global PWD Segmentation (Kx Quantitative Surveys, N=984). Two privacy-safe layers: real-time search-listening intent + aggregate NHS prescription geography. No health-condition inference or individual medical profiling.