• by Sheree R. Curry , March 15, 2006

Corporations are major supporters of the arts, so it seems a fitting progression for their outdoor media buys to include a commission for a $10,000 custom-made work of art. Such a piece not only boosts brand exposure but also jazzes up billboard-cluttered streets and lobby corridors.

Billijam, a New York-based digital arts company, has created ArtSpots, an out-of-home ad format featuring digital creations that companies sponsor. Each spot typically consists of 10 seconds of briskly moving, nearly psychedelic images that could easily spur hallucinations. Tagged with the sponsor's logo, each spot is on a loop with five others. Last fall, ArtSpots were splashed across huge digital billboards in midtown Manhattan.

"One of our goals is to bring digital art into the public arena and cut down on the amount of traditional advertising," says co-founder Marya Triandafellos, who has worked for McCann Erickson and BBDO and designs most of the spots herself.