As consumers navigate an extremely complex, online and offline path to purchase, brands struggle to keep up. From the perspective of the agencies that serve these brands, the biggest roadblock to success is slow adoption and embrace of modern marketing tactics, tech and tools.

According to a new study, 38% of agencies said clients are not fully utilizing tools to improve/monitor ROI. While agencies may have the capabilities to support in this effort, brands aren't taking advantage of tools that help them "close the loop" and optimize marketing efforts.

Other challenges agencies face when working with clients include: client uncertainty of which marketing techniques to use (24%), lacking client investment in resources to modernize marketing (22%), and lacking client investment in tech (13%). Overall, the data suggest that there are some lacking brand-side capabilities preventing agencies from being more effective.