New TransUnion Research Reveals Seven in 10 Marketing Leaders Struggle to Connect with Audiences Due to Complex Network of Martech Solutions and Identity Challenges

Two-thirds of marketers use 16 or more martech solutions

TransUnion announced newly commissioned Forrester Consulting research that reveals the uphill battle many marketing teams face in managing fragmented martech systems and identity challenges. However, the research also highlights a clear path forward for organizations that leverage identity resolution tools to connect disparate data sets.

Forrester’s Q4 2024 Identity Resolution Survey found that 70% of marketing leaders struggle to identify and reach audiences across multiple touchpoints, making well-informed marketing strategies and connected customer experiences increasingly difficult to achieve. Additionally, two-thirds report juggling 16 or more martech solutions—a level of complexity that’s making it harder to achieve their goals.

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Fragmentation in a brand’s marketing technology stack is a real barrier to executing strategically. According to the research, marketers identified the top challenges based on their current technology:

1. Inability to deliver personalization across the customer journey;
2. Difficulty scaling marketing efforts;
3. An inability to effectively onboard AI capabilities for marketing;
4. Wasted marketing spend.

“Marketing leaders know what they need to do—they’re just stuck juggling 16 or more martech solutions, creating overwhelming complexity,” said Matt Spiegel, executive vice president and head of TruAudience marketing solutions at TransUnion. “It’s not about changing your stack but leveraging identity and data tools to connect these disconnected tools. Without that connection, inefficiencies become significant concerns. We hear from teams every day struggling to bring it all together. But when they do, the difference is massive.”

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The research findings reinforce this trend—organizations that utilize identity resolution tools to integrate their fragmented data sets are seeing significant improvements in their marketing outcomes.

More specifically:

• 93% are meeting or exceeding their customer experience and understanding goals.
• 88% are meeting or exceeding their goal to improve customer insights and understanding.
• 79% are meeting or exceeding their data-driven decision-making and adaptability goals.

“At the end of the day, it’s about being able to see your customers clearly. When you connect the dots between systems, you’re creating better experiences for people. And that’s what drives results,” concluded Spiegel.

To explore the full research findings and learn how they can inform your strategy, click here. To better understand how to bring clarity to chaos in the marketing technology space, please meet with TransUnion at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) from January 8-9.