NEW YORK ? An AT&T executive at the 2013 MMA Forum said that for mobile budgets to increase, analytics have to be better used to show marketers the ROI of the medium.

During the ?Harnessing the Power of Mobile Advertising in the Era of Redefined Relevance? the AT&T executive spoke about different ways that the company is using smartphones and tablets as part of its marketing mix. The session was moderated by Alia Lamborghini, regional vice president at Millennial Media, Baltimore.

?The belief is already there that mobile is a powerful tool,? said Julia Plourde, director of digital media at AT&T, Dallas.

?I think what it?s really going to take going forward to increase that spend is the analytics piece, so it?s really about how do we prove the ROI of the platform, how do we prove that it drives sales and that it drives traffic and other behavior like that,? she said.

Mobile shift
By the end of the year, all of AT&T?s consumer-facing retail experiences will be mobile. The company is arming employees with smartphones and tablets to help assist shoppers on the floor.

According to Ms. Plourde, a mobile-first approach does not mean only investing in mobile. Instead it means that AT&T is changing the ways that it develops campaigns and looking at mobile?s role from the beginning of a campaign.

AT&T also differentiates smartphones and tablets in its marketing, with smartphones used for on-the-go content consumption and tablets used for at-home shopping and entertainment.

AT&T is also seeing greater order values on tablets.

Multiscreen opportunities
AT&T is looking at opportunities to tie together mobile and TV with co-viewing and multitasking initiatives since the company invests heavily in TV.

From a video advertising perspective, AT&T has created digital and mobile-specific video as well as repurposed video for mobile devices.

AT&T is also using mobile strategies and tactics to target specific groups of consumers.

For instance, the company can push a message to consumers with older phone models when they are likely close to upgrading their account.

?Some of the things that we are definitely looking at trend-wise is how consumers use mobile in the decision-making process, so consumers control how they engage and when they engage with the brand?s content, so we need to make sure that we understand the mindset in how they use the devices so we can be smarter marketers in that regard,? Ms. Plourde said.
 
?One of the more exciting things for a company like AT&T, who is essentially a mobile network provider, is this notion that mobility is more than just a smartphone and a tablet ? it is beyond that at this point,? she said.

?Google Glass is a great example of what is coming next around the corner."

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York