Team of the Week: 24/7 Media UK

The creative solutions team was launched in April to attract big spenders to interactive media.

It helps major fmcg clients such as Sainsbury's, Renault, Unilever and Vodafone integrate their advertising on the internet with their activity across other media.

"It's a two-fold consultative sell, primarily focusing on selling non-standard packages direct to key clients, further supporting the key objective of maximising commercial revenues on behalf of our clients; secondly, working with traditional advertisers as a consultant helping them realise the potential of interactive media," says sales manager Lisa Menaldo.

However, this work with clients direct doesn't mean their media planners and buyers get left out - Menaldo's agency sales team works with major agencies such as Carat and Universal McCann as well as Profero, i-level and other new media independents.

If the creative solutions team is working with a client that is interested in buying into 24/7 UK's online network, Menaldo's team will approach the relevant agency.

"We work together with the agencies to ensure that clients' needs are met. It's not in our interest to bypass our agencies," says Menaldo.

"We capitalise on the interactive platforms offered to advertisers by working closely across the mail, network and wireless sales departments."

Every member of the team has special responsibility for a couple of 24/7 UK's 23 network websites, which include handbag.com, worldpop.com, citv.co.uk and breathe.com, and works with the 20-strong client services team to really understand the client's brand.

This means the team can think creatively and offer exactly the right combination of websites to hit the right group of consumers in the desired way.

"We offer tailor-made solutions to our clients' objectives," says Menaldo. "The environment has to be the perfect match, otherwise there is no benefit to us or the advertiser."

Business development manager Nathan Kosky and his 24/7 Mail team, which launched last March, represent about 15 e-mail newsletters such as those sent out by peoplesound.com, genie.co.uk and The Economist.

"And we're registered members of the Direct Marketing Association so we can tap into any e-mail lists on the market," says Kosky.

The team was also the first to sell an e-mail ad campaign in the UK, says Kosky. This early success obviously owed a lot to 24/7 in the US, which has the biggest list of e-mail addresses in the world, a global list of 25 million addresses.

By night

The team lives up to its name - playing hard in the hours when it's released from the office.

Menaldo still shivers at the thought of their trip with clients to the very stylish but very cold Ice Hotel in Sweden and, equally, at the memory of ending up at the Astral lap-dancing bar with some I-Traffic associates after the 24/7 Christmas party held at the Dali Museum.

And account manager Philip Townsend has developed a John Wayne swagger since his drunken leap over some railings after the team had cruised from Little Venice to Camden Town on corporate sales manager Sarah Escott's narrow boat.

The team is based on Piccadilly and if it's a drink that's on the cards, it's off to favourite media industry haunts in and around the West End such as Mash, St Martin's Hotel and One Aldwych.

Key people

Mark Nall, UK sales director; Sarah Escott, UK corporate sales manager; Lisa Menaldo, UK sales manager; Nathan Kosky, business development manager; Charlotte Valente, Najine Collins, senior account managers; Philip Townsend, account manager.