• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 27, 2016

The ability to recognize audiences across channels and devices will become key in 2016, replacing programmatic as the top priority among marketers, according to a study released this week by the Interactive Advertising Bureau with help from Winterberry Group.

The growing volume of first-party audience data and emphasis on accountability and the demonstration of return on investment across marketing and media efforts continues to drive the shift, per the report published by the Data Center of Excellence, which the IAB announced at the Annual Leadership Meeting earlier this week.

The report, conducted through an online survey of 120 IAB special-interest council members, found that 58% of survey participants believe cross-channel measurement and attribution will command significant time and attention in 2016.

Data from searches on Web sites, social data from Facebook pages or Twitter accounts, and data from set-top boxes and addressable televisions all play an important role in ad targeting across desktops, smartphones, tablets, televisions, and the thousands of Internet-connected devices expected to come online this year.

In 2016, 57.6% of marketers say, cross-channel measurement and attribution will become the top priority. Some 52.5% of those surveyed say they will focus on programmatic media buying for emerging formats, including mobile and addressable television, in 2016. About 43% say that time, attention, and resources will be dedicated to programmatic buying for already-established formats.

While the industry is still learning how to connect one media to another through multiple devices, some major factors are holding back greater adoption. About 45% cite the inability of technology to support specific functions, and 35% cite the lack of experience inside the company to run the platforms and lead campaigns.

When respondents were asked to name the factors that will become most important in influencing data-driven marketing and media initiatives in the coming year, the No. 1 answer at 60% was demand from customers. Measurability at 48% followed, and 47% say the availability of first-party data will become important.