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Banner and pop-up ads attract about as many paying customers as a man on the street corner wearing a sandwich board. What's a revenue-starved site to do? Well, if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em off.

News site Salon.com recently launched a program where users who view a four-page ad for Mercedes-Benz receive a free one-day pass to its paid-subscription content. Economist.com offers free subscriptions to certain users who provide demographic information.