Brkthru is a digital marketing agency that helps brands reach targeted audiences through data-driven advertising campaigns across channels like social, search, display, and streaming media. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Brkthru co-founder Jeff Hastedt to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Jeff Hastedt’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Hastedt said:
“I’ve spent over a decade in digital marketing, driving campaigns for major media brands like CBS and Clear Channel; I’ve also led global initiatives for clients like Ford, Indian Motorcycle, Novo Nordisk, and Lennox. The running joke is that I can sell anything—I was a successful violin salesperson for many years despite not playing the instrument. My specialty is helping brands unlock the full selling power of digital advertising.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Hastedt shared:
“Eight years ago, my co-founder and I saw a gap in the market: small and mid-sized agencies were being ignored by the big platforms. So, we built Brkthru—a digital media company built for them. Our mission is simple: bring enterprise-level digital ad power to smaller agencies, backed by real human support every step of the way.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Hastedt reflected:
“In the early days, while I knew sales and advertising inside out, running a business was completely new. However, my blind confidence gave us an edge. Just days after launching, my co-founder and I pitched our digital media services to a major university and somehow convinced them to drop their incumbent for our 10-day-old company. I still don’t know what I said, but it worked. That early naïveté kept us fearless.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Hastedt explained:
“We develop and manage successful campaigns served to a target audience on a digital device such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop or connected TV, but our core product is customer service.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently? Hastedt acknowledged:
“One major challenge in the ad tech industry is the sheer volume of fraud. Entire networks exist just to scam advertisers by running “made for advertising” sites that gobble up ad budgets without delivering real results. These scams affect everyone, but large brands are better equipped to take the hit. Smaller advertisers can’t afford the loss, which is why it’s critical for providers like us to use the right tools and tactics to ensure ads are shown on real, human-viewed inventory.”
“The second issue is brand safety. Even if an ad appears on a legitimate site, is it one your brand wants to be associated with? This matters even more in sensitive industries like higher ed and healthcare. That’s why working with a media team that understands your space—and can manage whitelists and blacklists—is key to keeping placements aligned with your brand’s values.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since its launch? Hastedt noted:
“We’re continually evolving our technology to work faster, smarter, and more efficiently. One way is building a proprietary AI platform to create efficiencies across the board. Our proprietary system connects over 29 digital media platforms, giving us real-time visibility to better manage campaign delivery and performance. By automating workflows, we reduce duplicate work, minimize manual errors, and streamline operations—ultimately creating a single source of truth for campaign data across systems.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Hastedt cited:
“At Brkthru, we celebrate our May anniversary with 31 Days of Service, giving our team a paid day off to volunteer in their communities. With 19 hubs nationwide, we impact many areas—and I hope other companies adopt this idea too.”
“Every fall, we hold a One Day Sale where we give current and prospective clients special deals for one day only. The entire company gets involved. It’s an exciting day where we lock in thousands of new campaigns for hundreds of clients.”
“We’ve earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies for four consecutive years—an uncommon achievement for an eight-year-old company. The ranking, based on revenue growth over a three-year period, is a strong validation that our business model is not only working, but thriving.”
“For the past six years, we conduct a Client Satisfaction Survey where we ask the majority of our clients how we’re doing. We consistently receive a 90% overall client satisfaction score, and equally high scores for our knowledge of digital media and level of service. In an industry where 40% of clients plan to change marketing services partners within the year, keeping clients happy is what sets us apart.”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Hastedt highlighted:
“Our destination client, Visit Phoenix, recently completed an advertising impact study with outstanding results—outperforming both competing destinations and the same study conducted five years ago. The campaign generated 1.62 million incremental trips to Phoenix and delivered an impressive $518 return for every ad dollar spent.”
“Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises is seeing record-breaking success. Through a targeted digital strategy—including display, site targeting, behavioral, and search/domain retargeting—we’ve driven a 400% year-over-year increase in sales, with a month still remaining in the campaign.”
Funding/Revenue
Are you able to discuss funding and/or revenue metrics? Hastedt revealed:
“Brkthru is 100% bootstrapped and we’re proud of it. In 2024, Brkthru accelerated new business outreach by 5X, driving a 239% increase in new business revenue and reducing its average days to close by over 75% since 2021. Serving more than 1,030 active brands, 235 agencies and 449 direct clients in 2024, the company had ten clients exceed $1M in ad spend for the year. This strong momentum has landed Brkthru on the Inc. 5000 list of the Fastest Growing Private Companies for the fourth consecutive year and prompted Brkthru to grow its headcount by approximately 25%, adding over 40 new employees and promoting 25 more last year alone.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Hastedt affirmed:
“Without a doubt, it’s service. Agencies and brand clients hear the word ‘no’ way too often in the paid digital media category. No to turn-around times. No, your budget’s not big enough. No, you don’t meet our minimum. So, we decided to build a company that was focused on saying yes, listening to a client’s needs and nurturing and caring for the campaigns. We’ve staffed Brkthru with professionals who are not only extremely talented at what they do, but they also have an innate desire to serve clients and keep them happy. Every client, regardless of size, has a dedicated core team from client success, client services, strategy, media trading and analytics dedicated to developing and managing their campaigns.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Hastedt emphasized:
“While we did not start out with goals of the unprecedented revenue growth we’ve seen every year, it’s been nice to achieve. Quite simply, our goals are keeping and retaining happy clients, growing our relationships with existing clients and being a great place to work for our employees.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Hastedt concluded:
“We’re always eager to have a conversation, so feel free to reach out to info@brkthru.com, or to Brkthru at https://www.linkedin.com/company/brkthru/.”
