• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, November 18, 2015

Most marketers realize that the future of mobile advertising lies in more sophisticated, data-driven targeting methods like predictive targeting -- but many are intimidated by the prospect of managing so much data.

That’s according to a new report from Forrester’s consulting arm, which was commissioned by predictive targeting mobile ad network AdTheorent.

Right. The findings are certainly convenient for AdTheorent, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering.

Forrester found that 13 out of 15 marketers said that they're not satisfied with their current level of targeting, while a majority still depend solely on CRM data to get the job done.  

What’s more, nearly all marketers interviewed said they would prefer to target consumers with more granularity -- and those who are using big data effectively reported seeing significant results. Regardless of who’s asking, I’d say that’s true of most marketers, today.

The report also jibes with recent findings from Forrester’s non-consulting arm, which suggested that increasingly targeted and contextual marketing is what will help brands stand out over the next year. Competitive pressure will inspire “deeper customer engagement at the individual level, combined with a collision of insight and automation technology,” according to Forrester analyst Luca Paderni.

As a result, Forrester also said to expect “an ocean of vendors” -- like AdTheorent -- flooding into the market that will try capitalizing on the said competitive pressure.