In their recent thought paper, Lee Fitzhugh (vice president of data management) and David Barker (product strategy manager) explored the need for organisations to create an identity strategy to give their customers the best experience with their brand.

Going back to basics, ‘identity’ represents a collection of data elements that describe a customer and how to interact with them in an addressable way.

Traditionally in Martech, the focus has been on customer, technology and data solutions. However, Fitzhugh and Barker argue that the customer is the key component in the equation, and more should be done to demystify this cohort so that technology and data are delivering value; enter a strong identity strategy!

With the right identity resolution that considers consumer data privacy legislation, targeting the customer in a meaningful way becomes more achievable.

On the upside, consumers are engaging with brands on more channels and platforms than ever before. On the downside, a combination of market, legislation, technology, and publisher ecosystem changes makes it harder to create an identity for a consumer. This is why prioritising first-party data is essential.

Fitzhugh and Barker suggest the way to create a top identity resolution by creating customer profiles stored in an identity graph and made accessible to other systems to allow for a variety of uses.

The tech marketer can employ strategies like omnichannel marketing, in-moment personalisation and multi-touch attribution to speak to the customer.

The result sees customers receiving personalised communication that makes them feel valued and understood by the brand. So while data and technology are essential tools in the marketing process, it’s the customer who decides where their loyalty lies and that is underpinned by a strong identity strategy.

For more on the importance of identity strategy, make sure you read the rest of this thought paper here.