Print Media6/25/08
By Dan Kaplan When I encounter a grainy video of two apparently intoxicated women battling it out on the subway, the last thing I expect to appear is an ad from a major brand. But lo and behold, at Break.com, the flagship site of the video ad network, Break Media, an ad for Honda's Element SUV popped up. While most analysts are bullish about its potential, online video advertising is still controversial: in April, the much-discussed and well-funded VideoEgg dropped most of its video ad network to focus on social networks and flash-games, and yesterday, VentureBeat's Eric Eldon published an article offering reasons to be skeptical of YouTube's short-to-medium-term revenue potential. Meanwhile, Break Media claims a 200 percent uptick in revenue since Q2 of last year and has attracted brands ranging from Paramount Pictures, Schick and Hershey's to Anheuser-Busch and Jim Beam. Of course, the company will not disclose its actual figures, so a 200 percent increase might not be as meaningful as it sounds. But there are reasons to believe that the company's prospects are good: Like the women-centric Glam, a rapidly-expanding ad network that allegedly turned down a $1.3 billion offer, Break is targeting a sought-after niche. From almost day one of its existence, the company has been focused on appealing to 18-34 year old men. As a result, all of the videos on Break.com and the 60 plus third-party sites in its ad network are tailored to the demographic of which I am proudly a part. (See Break.com's most-viewed video page for some insight into our minds.) The company claims that between Break.com and the sites in its network, it reaches around 50 million unique visitors per month. It has also sought to solidify its position with the acquisition of WallStreetFighter, a business and financial news and humor blog. And here, courtesy of Break, is your moment of zen: |
Break Media, Video Ad Network for Dudes, Gets Big Brands on Low-Budget Content, Grows Fast