Online space opens doors to great -- and more creative -- opportunities.

Riley is the eBusiness marketing and content leader for Volkswagen. He is responsible for all Volkswagen Brand eMarketing and content on B2B, B2C and B2D Web sites, U.S. and Canada.

iMediaConnection: What was your biggest online "win" this year, and how did you sell it throughout the company?

Riley: Lead purchase pilot program including data scrubbing and appending yielding a sub $100 cost per car sold.

iMediaConnection: How has your job changed this year?

Riley: Tight budgets have forced us to be very tactical and we have had to decline some excellent branding opportunities.

iMediaConnection: Have you realigned internal structures and resources to simplify or increase integrated marketing?

Riley: Yes, in the process.

iMediaConnection: How do you determine your marketing mix -- and how has the role of online in it changed?

Riley: In recent history, media budgets have been broken down more scientifically using traditional planning efficiency models. Online media was called out as the most scientific and measurable medium to date. However, the online space opens doors to truly integrated opportunities that we never imagined before, which brings more creativity back into the planning process.  

iMediaConnection: What haven't you brought into the marketing mix yet that you want to try?

Riley: Search optimization.

iMediaConnection: Have you seen specific evidence of online driving offline sales?

Riley: Very specific.

iMediaConnection: Are you using consultants, software, agencies or other tools to help with search engine marketing?

Riley: Agencies and consultants.

iMediaConnection: What do you believe is the future of ad agencies?

Riley: Agencies need to (and will) get smart, if they aren't already, to the online channel. Clients will be demanding completely integrated campaigns. Agencies need to figure out how to deliver on this and how to make it profitable.

iMediaConnection: What do we need to be doing as an industry to help you make Interactive marketing a bigger piece of your marketing pie?

Riley: Keep the metrics flowing...

iMediaConnection: Are you being affected by any consumer-generated marketing (CGM) -- blogs, user groups, etc.? Are you using any blogs or other social networking tools to market?

Riley: Yes and yes, but in a very limited way.

iMediaConnection: How important is CRM in your marketing efforts? Give us an example of what's working.

Riley: It's very important, but data issues are preventing it from being a major part of our mix.

iMediaConnection: What are you investing in now for next year's marketing program?

Riley: Data enhancements. Lead cultivation processes.

iMediaConnection: Does anything still frustrate you about what online can or can't do?

Riley: Not what it can or can't do, how we use don't use it consistently.

iMediaConnection: What are your daily "must-see" Web sites and why?

Riley: iMedia, iTunes -- music releases, several automotive news sites. One of three weather sites -- accuweather, weather.com, weatherbug (equal opportunity surfer)

iMediaConnection: What are you reading these days, other than iMediaConnection.com, of course?

Riley: Forrester, Jupiter, and Allison Fisher.