• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, February 24, 2010

Hoping to keep advertisers' attention, men's-focused media publisher Break Media on Wednesday is expected to roll out several new video-centric ad units.

Part of what Break calls its Interactive Engagement Suite, the new "videostitial" format is a full-page, 15-second, HD-quality welcome video with audio capabilities. "Page engage" ads are expandable ad units featuring multiple videos displayed in full page, which users can choose from once the ad has expanded.

The "video roll," meanwhile, is a 300x250 rich-media unit that plays video content upon engagement, and can support companion banners in its expandable state.

Finally, the "interactive pre-roll" presents an interactive menu after a traditional :15-second video pre-roll plays, which allows viewers to seek more video content from an advertiser, or proceed directly to editorial content.

That these formats are all video-based is no mistake, said Andrew Budkofsky, EVP of sales and partnerships at Break Media.

"Marketers are recognizing that video is quickly becoming the biggest opportunity in digital marketing," said Budkofsky.

Meanwhile, Nick Wilson, CTO of Break Media, said many of the ads were created in partnership with existing ad partners. "We don't create these units in a vacuum -- our advertising partners have been part of developing these units from the very beginning," said Wilson.

The potential of video advertising on the Web is indeed drawing the attention of advertisers, as eMarketer projects that video ad sales will grow from $775 million in 2009 to $3.1 billion in 2010.

Break Media has multiple partnerships with content providers, including Hulu, G4 and TruTV. Advertisers can buy against their content, which is distributed across a broad network of sites, reaching millions of men worldwide.

Break also operates the creative content shop Creative Lab, which recently developed and launched a series of 'mockumentaries' for client Levi's titled "New Stories of America."