As enterprise marketing teams increase investments in artificial intelligence and customer experience technologies, a new study from Acxiom suggests that many organizations are only scratching the surface of their existing marketing technology capabilities. The research, focused on enterprise organizations using or evaluating Adobe CX Enterprise, indicates that while most leaders are satisfied with their martech investments, significant opportunities remain to improve AI readiness, customer personalization, and return on technology investments through connected data and identity resolution.

Enterprise organizations have spent the past several years expanding their marketing technology stacks to support personalized customer experiences, digital engagement, and AI-driven automation. Yet new research from Acxiom, the data and technology company owned by Interpublic Group (IPG), indicates that realizing value from these investments depends less on purchasing additional software and more on maximizing the platforms businesses already own.

The company's latest proprietary research surveyed senior executives at large U.S. organizations currently using or planning to adopt Adobe CX Enterprise. While the findings show widespread confidence in existing marketing technology investments, they also point to persistent gaps in data integration, identity management, and AI readiness that could limit future business outcomes.

The study found that 92% of enterprise leaders believe their current martech investments are meeting or exceeding expectations. Among organizations already using Adobe CX Enterprise, satisfaction increases to 95%, suggesting mature customer experience platforms are delivering measurable operational value.

Marketing technology (MarTech) refers to the software platforms and data systems organizations use to manage customer engagement, marketing automation, analytics, personalization, advertising, and digital customer experiences. AI-powered martech increasingly depends on connected first-party data and unified customer profiles to deliver accurate personalization and business insights.

Although organizations report strong satisfaction with their technology investments, the research identifies an important disconnect between ownership and utilization. Nearly 99% of executives believe first-party data will determine future competitive advantage in customer experience, yet 85% admit they are not fully leveraging the customer data they already possess.

That finding reflects a broader challenge facing enterprise marketing teams. Many organizations have invested heavily in customer data platforms (CDPs), marketing automation, analytics, and AI tools, but fragmented customer identities and disconnected data sources continue to prevent these technologies from operating at their full potential.

Artificial intelligence further amplifies this challenge. According to the study, 87% of C-suite executives agree that successful AI in marketing depends on high-quality, connected data. As generative AI becomes integrated into campaign planning, customer engagement, content generation, and predictive analytics, organizations increasingly recognize that AI systems are only as effective as the underlying data supporting them.

Identity resolution emerged as another strategic priority. The research found that 91% of enterprise leaders consider identity resolution essential for effective personalization across multiple channels. By connecting customer interactions across websites, mobile applications, email, CRM systems, and offline touchpoints, identity resolution enables organizations to build unified customer profiles that improve targeting and engagement.

The study also highlights the growing complexity of enterprise marketing ecosystems. Nearly 89% of respondents believe organizations require greater support from implementation partners and technology specialists to navigate increasingly sophisticated martech environments that combine AI, customer data, analytics, and automation.

To address these challenges, Acxiom is expanding its Adobe Practice, offering advisory services, implementation support, managed services, and native integrations between Acxiom Real ID, InfoBase, and Adobe Real-Time CDP. These capabilities are designed to help organizations improve customer identity, accelerate deployment, and measure business outcomes more effectively.

The findings align with broader industry trends. According to Gartner, marketing leaders continue prioritizing AI, customer data, and marketing measurement as key investment areas while simultaneously seeking greater return on existing technology investments. Forrester has similarly reported that organizations are shifting from expanding martech stacks toward optimizing platform utilization, integration, and operational efficiency.

The growing importance of first-party data is also being reinforced by changes across the digital advertising ecosystem. As third-party cookies continue to decline and privacy regulations evolve globally, brands are increasingly investing in customer data platforms, identity solutions, and consent-driven data strategies to support personalization and AI-powered marketing.

Technology providers including Adobe, Salesforce, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon continue expanding AI capabilities across their enterprise marketing platforms, enabling organizations to automate content creation, campaign optimization, customer segmentation, and predictive analytics. However, successful deployment increasingly depends on integrated data infrastructure rather than standalone AI capabilities.

For enterprise marketers, the research reinforces a growing industry consensus: maximizing existing marketing technology investments may deliver greater business value than continually expanding technology stacks. Organizations that improve data quality, unify customer identities, and establish clear AI strategies are likely to be better positioned to achieve measurable marketing performance as artificial intelligence becomes central to customer experience operations.

Market Landscape

Enterprise marketing technology is entering a new phase focused on optimization rather than expansion. Organizations are prioritizing AI readiness, first-party data strategies, customer identity management, and platform integration to maximize return on existing technology investments.

According to Gartner, AI, customer data platforms, and marketing measurement remain among the highest enterprise marketing investment priorities. Forrester also reports that enterprises are increasingly optimizing existing martech ecosystems instead of adding new standalone solutions. Technology leaders including Adobe, Salesforce, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon continue embedding generative AI and intelligent automation into customer experience platforms, making connected data infrastructure a competitive requirement.

Top Insights

• Acxiom's research found that 92% of enterprise leaders are satisfied with their martech investments, with Adobe CX Enterprise users reporting even higher satisfaction levels.
• Nearly all executives recognize first-party data as a competitive advantage, yet most organizations are still underutilizing existing customer data assets.
• AI-powered marketing depends on connected, high-quality customer data, making data integration and identity resolution foundational capabilities for enterprise success.
• Identity resolution continues to emerge as a critical requirement for delivering consistent personalization across multiple customer touchpoints.
• Enterprise marketers increasingly rely on strategic implementation partners to optimize complex martech ecosystems and maximize long-term technology ROI.

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