• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 20, 2008

Female-focused e-publisher and ad network Glam Media on Monday announced the launch of Brash.com, a vertical network and content hub of sites targeting men ages 18-49. Online Media Daily reported late last month that a men's network was in the works, but under the name CodeBlue.

"Like the women's category, we're going to offer advertisers better-defined opportunities with better reach," said Samir Arora, chairman and CEO of Glam Media. "The men's category, as it's traditionally defined by 'laddie' magazines and upscale fashion magazines, is too narrow in its focus."

At launch, the Brash Network is composed of several dozen lifestyle, entertainment and technology sites, blogs and publishers, including ArtistDirect, DigitalTrends.com, eCoustics.com, InGameNowSeriousWheels.com; Squidoo, and MonstersandCritics.com.

Brash content partners include Time, Rolling Stone, TheCarConnection.com, sports site SB Nation, and Cnet.

Major launch advertisers on the Brash.com network include Unilever's Axe brand deodorant, H&M, HP, and Sony Pictures' "Quantum of Solace."

Also debuting is BrashTV, a rights-managed video distribution platform built on GlamTV supported by the likes of Sony, Cinelan 3-Minute Films, Howcast.com and Vidcat.com.

Faced with leaner economic times and fierce competition, male-focused Web publishers--including Heavy Media and Glam Media--have recently had to cut staff and the scope of their operations. Despite those measures, now is as good a time as any to launch Brash, said Scott Schiller, EVP of global marketing at Glam Media.

"The timing is right," said Schiller. "Advertisers still want to reach a niche audience of the right scale with tightly focused messages."

John Trimble, who joined Glam Media from Fox Interactive, is serving as the EVP of sales at Brash, while Richard Pérez-Feria, formerly the editor in chief of People en Español, is the launch editorial director and curator of Brash.com.

For Brash, Glam has to refocus its Glam Evolution service to allow vertical targeting of men by audience, content, prime-time and placement.

With close to 10 million U.S. unique visitors a month at launch, the Brash Network is launching with five channels: men's lifestyle, including style, fitness, travel, food and drink; entertainment, including music, movies, TV, and games; tech, including audio, gadgets, PCs and Macs; auto, including luxury, sport, SUV, and sedans; and news, including world, U.S., politics and technology.

Other publishers joining the Brash.com Network at launch include Freshnessmag.com, SpiralFrog.com, and StreetFire.net.