"I hardly ever notice banners," writes Noah Brier at his eponymous blog, "and even if you don't buy banner blindness it's hard to deny that advertising on the Web is everywhere. No matter what page [you're] on, there always seems to be something sliding around trying to sell you something." Which is why the Gawker Artists program at Gawker.com caught Brier's attention.

Instead of banner ads, the program places static images of fine art curated by Liz Dimmitt of Gumshoe on the Web page. Regular visitors to Gawker Media sites are treated to a rotation of emerging artists like Jeremy Corff and Michael Marsicano. It makes for an interesting diversion, and the wide variety of images means you're spared feeling oversaturated. The approach also is unobtrusive—you decide how much time to spend viewing the art.

Gawker Artists is a visually appealing way to fill unsold banner space. (Knowing his reputation, Gawker founder Nick Denton probably has a solid business case.) But even if the program is nothing more than an uncharacteristic fit of altruistic civic-mindedness, the concept can still spark plenty of ROI-driven ideas for the rest of us.

Your Marketing Inspiration: "By replacing animated banners from advertisers with static banners from artists, Gawker makes you take note of the space again," says Brier. "In essence what they've realized is that advertising is social media, and in such an oversaturated world, they've got to sell it as such: Which means combining content and advertising."

More Inspiration:
Elaine Fogel: What's the Point in Personalizing Communication?
Paul Barsch: Brain Drugs: Unfair Competitive Advantage?
Ted Mininni: Clorox Going Green?

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