It’s surprising that the music site Grooveshark allows advertisers to take over their entire landing page. Even the search bar and background are in Gilt Groupe’s branded colors.

The blank space on the site would otherwise go wasted, so it makes sense to sell to advertisers at a premium. However, from a branding perspective, having another brand be deeply integrated can be detrimental to Grooveshark. My first few experiences with the site had colors from other brands, so it was confusing to see the chalkboard background that is apparently Grooveshark’s own.

Takeaway: Make sure that customers are familiar enough with your site/product before you sell your soul to advertisers.

Follow me on Twitter: @winniekao