The need for more data metrics and the ability of machine learning to deliver it were themes of the MMA Forum in Singapore on Friday.

Against the backdrop of a massive explosion of data, mobile industry players can harness the power of machine learning to transform complex data points into a tool for effective targeting and measurement, ultimately building trust.

The Mobile Marketing Association Forum saw more than 20 speakers discuss topics from programmatic and multi-touch attribution to vertical video and retargetting campaigns.

MMA Asia Pacific managing director Rohit Dadwal told delegates to expect data insights to be increasingly powerful, especially on mobile. "Data like context, location, time of day to target consumers - no other media but mobile can give you that - and our next step is to channel this data towards building mobile as a reliable platform with the same accountability as any other platform."

Machine learning was a major talking point for speakers, and Dadwal (pictured) says multi-touch attribution is "where our industry is heading" and something marketers have to start embracing.

Hailing multi-touch attribution as the holy grail of marketing measurement, he added that it will pave the way for agile marketing by improving transparency and verification of data, standardising terms and performance metrics, while linking advertising data from many touchpoints - effectively resolving key challenges currently faced by mobile marketers.

Achieving multi-touch attribution requires advanced analytics of user level data to allocate proportional credit across various marketing touchpoints, but as big data increasingly comes into focus, "so would the development of multi-touch attribution and machine learning".

Echoing Dadwal, Sapna Chadha, Google's head of marketing for India and southeast Asia, forecast massive explosion in data, "from 16 ZB today to 163 ZB by 2025".

Some telecommunications companies in India were already making their data available, and Tom Simpson, AdColony APAC growth and programmatic director, says telco data is "one of the best for targeting".

Chadha called for industry players to channel user data into machines, to allow them to develop the discretion and intelligence needed to optimise outreaching and advertising. From personalising advertisements at scale to automating bidding processes, machine learning is revolutionising digital advertising, helping marketers achieve more in scale, speed and efficiency.

Speakers emphasised the need to harness data-driven insights to reach the right consumers on the right platforms. Amidst rapidly declining attention spans, strategic targeting, be it through innovative technology or contextual storytelling, has become all the more important.

"If you can't hook consumers within two or three seconds, you might as well not do it at all," said Johnson & Johnson regional head of digital and innovation Richa Goswami, calling for marketers to marry content and context to tell compelling stories on relevant platforms.

Similarly, InMobi's Asia pacific general manager Jayesh Easwaramony told delegates that the first 15 seconds of a video count in driving brand recall: "If you're still doing 30-second pre-roll ads, you're doing it wrong."

At the same time, speakers cautioned that marketers might risk losing consumer trust if they carry out excessive and unstrategic targeting. Graham Kelly, founder of Originate, expressed concern over the recent allegations against Facebook advertisements targeting emotionally vulnerable and insecure youth who are more susceptible to buying products.

Creative solutions to tackle other roadblocks in targeting such as ad-blocking and declining app downloads, were also discussed at the Forum, among them Video Ad Serving Template (VAST), vertical video, interactive video and 360 video, highlighted as effective tools in driving viewability, as well as buffer-free, immersive and meaningful user experiences.

The data explosion is creating new questions and complex challenges for the industry, and leaders across various industries - marketing, agency, DSP and measurement - called for new data-driven metrics that are responsible, accountable, and reliable, as they are critical in informing mobile spend, driving programmatic adoption, and boosting trust in the industry.

"If a consumer switches across their three devices, are they counted once or thrice?" Joanna Wong, Spotify's regional head of business marketing, asked. Likewise, Bryan Kim, APAC managing director of Tune, said cross-channel measurement and attribution was a top priority among 57.1 per cent of marketers in 2017.

According to BBM chief executive Matthew Talbot, even though messaging apps now see more people today than social media does, little marketing spend is being channelled to messaging platforms. With better measurement standards, this disconnect between consumer habits and marketing efforts can be reconciled.

Speaking in a panel on programmatic revolution, Joe Nguyen (ComScore regional senior vice president) said data is currently missing in the use of programmatic in the Asia Pacific. and the industry needs more data and better metrics that can inform programmatic buys in delivering desired return on investment.

Dadwal harked back to the need for reliable measurement in his closing comments: "To truly position mobile as a formidable platform equalling TV, we must make it attributable.

"Businesses need to know the exact impact on their ROI and sales, or they wouldn't be able to justify the hefty investment they have made into this tiny device."

-MMA APAC