Acxiom®, the connected data and technology foundation for the world’s leading brands, in partnership with EMARKETER, today released its report, “Data and identity: From marketing capability to company asset.” The new research reinforces the need to align fragmented data and identity under a stronger, interoperable foundation to enable enterprise-wide clarity and create a connected view of consumers across channels and identifiers.

“Marketers are seeing clear returns from identity investments, particularly in personalization and measurement, but many organizations are still held back by fragmented data and disconnected systems,” said Arielle Feger, Senior Analyst, Media Content, EMARKETER. “As AI becomes more central to marketing, the companies that treat identity as enterprise infrastructure will be better positioned to create a unified customer view and drive growth.”

According to the report, 80% of marketers report improved return on investment from identity efforts, with the biggest gains in personalization (40.2%). At the same time, fragmentation remains a major barrier: 42.0% of respondents rate their customer data foundation as somewhat or very immature, and 55.4% say their first-party data is siloed or only partially connected.

“Identity is the connective tissue of modern marketing, it’s an enterprise asset architected with interoperability, privacy, and AI in mind,” said Jarrod Martin, CEO of Acxiom. “Companies that unify their data and identity foundation will unlock insights and exceptional customer experiences.”

Key findings from the report illustrate why connected data and multi-identifier identity systems are becoming essential enterprise infrastructure:

• Holistic identity is built from multiple signals: Marketers now use layered identity strategies built on modern digital identifiers, with email/hashed email (65.2%), first-party authenticated IDs (52.7%), and device or mobile IDs (50.0%) forming the core of the identity mix.
• Interoperability becomes the new standard: As organizations adopt more identifiers and data sources, interoperability is becoming essential. Yet only 23.0% of marketers say their systems are fully interoperable.
• Identity is now a core enterprise asset: 60.7% of marketers plan to increase investment in identity resolution over the next 24 months, with top priorities including unifying customer views (38.4%), AI and advanced analytics initiatives (38.4%), and website personalization (31.3%).

“Smart brands today are focusing on interoperability between identifiers while investing in their first-party data, treating identity as an enterprise asset with a unified strategy,” said Keith Camoosa, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Acxiom. “This is particularly important for brands in regulated industries where accuracy and security are fundamental.”

Camoosa added, “Brands need full control over their identity as AI, privacy demands, and campaign execution accelerate. Building a glass-box approach to data gives companies transparency and control by integrating directly with their existing infrastructure for brand-owned identity.”

About the Report

The 2026 “Data and identity: From marketing capability to company asset” report was developed by EMARKETER in collaboration with Acxiom. It surveyed 112 U.S.-based agency and marketing professionals to benchmark identity maturity, data readiness, and investment priorities.

Download a copy of the report here.

About Acxiom

Acxiom puts data to work, solving complex challenges for the world’s leading brands and agencies. As the connected data and identity foundation for Omnicom (OMC), Acxiom unifies, connects, and prepares data for AI-driven marketing and decision-making, maximizing technology investments. As leaders in data ethics and governance, Acxiom brings a privacy-first approach to serving clients globally, with locations in the U.S., UK, Germany, China, Poland, and Mexico. Connect with Acxiom on LinkedIn and discover more at Acxiom.com.

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“Smart brands today are focusing on interoperability between identifiers while investing in their first-party data, treating identity as an enterprise asset with a unified strategy,” said Keith Camoosa, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Acxiom.