NEW YORK ? A Millennial Media executive at the 2012 MMA Forum said that it is important for marketers to have a mobile-first approach, especially since the device is becoming the first screen for user experiences.

During the session ?The Mobile Era Continues: Latest Trends in Content, Targeting and Engagement for Brand Marketers,? the executive discussed the latest trends in the mobile app economy. The executive also spoke about advances that have been made with mobile in the past few years. 

?Mobile is becoming the first screen for everything,? said Marcus Startzel, general manager of North America at Millennial Media, Baltimore, MD.

?Mobile is already here today and we have to leverage it,? he said. ?I think the key message is that mobile is changing the way that everyone is acting today.

?We know it, we feel it, but how do we get brands to understand where mobile is today and how to truly leverage the aspects of it.

Mobile evolution
The mobile app economy is growing.

Consumers are paying for applications and paying for products within apps ? whether they are physical or virtual items.

In the past, marketers were all about showing the right ad, at the right place and at the right time.

However, it should be about the right customer, in the right place, at the right time.

There are so many platforms out there that have taken the advertising out of advertising and turned everything into an algorithmic math problem, per Mr. Startzel.

However, the mechanism should be about driving relevancy and personalized content to users.

?No one turns their phone off, it?s always on, which means it?s always addressable,? Mr. Startzel said.

Impact of devices
Consumers constantly have their mobile devices with them on-hand.

Gradually, consumers are using tablets while lying in bed or watching TV.

Mobile devices are personal.

Therefore, marketers have the ability to use location to market to consumers in a way that is very impactful and engaging at the same time.

Location currently plays a big role in the mobile space and it will continue to have a bigger impact going forward.

Nowadays, mobile advertising has become more sophisticated and marketers are increasingly using location and relevant content to drive user engagement.

?Location is delivering the promise of mobile,? Mr. Startzel said.

It is important that marketers drive the shift and try to make mobile fit into this online construct, per the executive.

?Real world actions will drive ROI,? Mr. Startzel said. ?The shift is happening, we see traditional dollars heading into mobile.?

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York