- Mike Shields

Southern Comfort has tapped Break Media to produce Social Sportz Net, an eight-episode Web series aimed at associating the brand with holiday parties typically hosted and attended by young men.

The show offers tips on party planning through the lens of a Sportscenter-like faux-newscast. The first two episodes of Social Sportz Net, one of which dealt with birthday bashes, kicked off last month on a Southern Comfort-branded channel on Break.com. Upcoming episodes of the show -- which are scheduled to run through February -- will focus on crucial "guy holidays" such as Thanksgiving Eve, New Years Eve and the Super Bowl.

Social Sportz Net is the latest original-branded entertainment series produced by The Break Creative Lab, which, according to vp Jonathan Small, has fashioned over 25 original series for brands to date. The key to producing shows that work for both advertisers and viewers is to make sure the videos combine Break’s signature humor with real service -- without pounding users over the head with commercial messaging.

“Humor is the universal language of the Break audience. So what works are videos that look like Break,” Small said. “You can’t be too heavy handed. It helps to have a client who is aware of this.”

So, instead of banners or pre-roll ads, each video will typically feature Southern Comfort being poured and consumed. In addition, the show’s announcers will reference original Southern Comfort drink recipes.

“This is much less about pushing the brand forward,” said Lena DerOhannessian, Southern Comfort’s U.S. brand marketing director. “This is about showcasing the brand in real situations.”


Nielsen Business Media