Data Strategy Longevity is a Top Concern for 9 Out of 10 UK Marketing Leaders
by on 2nd Nov 2026 in News
New findings released today (2nd November, 2026) by Blis, part of T-Mobile Advertising Solutions, have highlighted marketing decision-makers’ concerns about the ongoing ability of their data strategies to keep pace with market demands.
The research, conducted for Blis by Sapio Research among 200 senior UK marketing decision-makers, indicates confidence within the digital advertising ecosystem is under pressure. With over 70% of web traffic now cookie-free1, a massive 95% of UK marketers expressed significant concern over how long their current data strategies will remain viable.
When asked about alternative solutions to ease the pressures caused by cookie deprecation, respondents were highly sceptical. Over 4 in 5 stated that a lookalike or expanded audience is only as good as its foundational seed data.
Data integrity was a key concern throughout the research:
- 78% of respondents stated that initial source data quality directly impacts campaign performance.
- 59% cited data accuracy as their biggest audience targeting obstacle, ahead of cross-platform consistency (45%) and signal loss or user privacy challenges (39%).
- Almost 7 in 10 (69%) stated that single-channel, siloed data sources leave a fragmented and insufficient view of the customer journey.
- Fewer than half (48%) of those surveyed claimed confidence that their existing audience inputs meet their standards for accuracy.
Despite these pressing concerns, the market sees a clear path forward from this cookieless signal uncertainty. Over 4 in 5 respondents agree that telecommunications (telco) data has the potential to become an essential signal for future omnichannel targeting, and nearly 3 in 5 rate accuracy and quality as its primary benefits.
To prove this real-world impact, Blis ran side-by-side campaign tests across five UK audience segments: Travel & tourism; Health & fitness; Food & restaurants; Music & movies; Clothing & fashion. A control group using standard campaign targeting was compared to one which included telco-verified data signals within the targeting parameters. Every category saw a statistically significant increase in category affinity of between 38 - 155%.
Telco data provides real signals, such as app usage and movement patterns, drawn at scale straight from the mobile network, without relying on cookies or device IDs. It inherently overcomes many of the challenges identified by marketers in their current data strategies, often based on traditional, outmoded data sources.
Charlie Smith, CRO, Blis comments, "Data accuracy is not optional in the evolving digital landscape. This research makes it clear: signal loss is a significant and urgent issue for many of the UK’s most influential marketers. The vast majority are very aware that traditional data sources just aren’t fit for modern marketing purposes."
"As modelling and automation play ever greater roles within digital, they can only ever be as good as their foundational seed data. The opportunity presented by trusted telco data, especially provided through an omnichannel DSP like us, is simultaneously reliable, privacy-first, and highly actionable. This study demonstrates it can deliver exceptional precision and, crucially, outcomes."
The full research findings are available through a new whitepaper Well Connected: How telco data performs against the UK’s biggest audience targeting challenge available here: Well Connected Whitepaper.
Methodology: Sapio Research surveyed 200 senior UK marketing decision-makers online in June 2026. All respondents have direct responsibility for digital advertising and programmatic spend, spanning both brand-side and agency-side organisations.
The Blis matched-market geo-experiment ran across 3,500+ respondents in target geographies across five UK consumer verticals: Health & fitness, Food & restaurants, Travel & tourism, Music & movies, and Clothing & fashion. It spanned a baseline audience, built in each vertical using location and spend signals layered with Experian consumer segments and spend data. Matched geographic areas then received an additional layer of telco signal, while control areas retained the baseline stack. Respondents were surveyed with four questions: category interest, most-engaged category, actions taken in the last month, and actions expected in the next three months. Results were compared between control and telco-enhanced groups per vertical, with a 95% confidence threshold. The telco data in this report comes from UK mobile network partners, not T-Mobile US customers.
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