• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, February 12, 2007

Back in 2005, H&M placed a ginormous ad on the Flatiron building, much to my dismay. Placing an ad on a faux pyramid in the middle of the desert, however, seems appropriate in my book.

The Luxor Hotel & Casino and the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, both in Las Vegas, are taking full advantage of the NBA All-Star game being played in Vegas this weekend. Each hotel erected massive ads for two recognizable brands that feature NBA spokesmen: Dwyane Wade for T-Mobile, and Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard for adidas.

T-Mobile placed a 250' high by 225' wide ad on Mandalay Bay -- the largest sports ad in history, according to Elite Media, which brokered the deals for both big-baller spots. Adidas placed a trapezoid-shaped ad occupying 42,825 square feet on the Luxor.

The T-Mobile advertisement consists of more than 700 panels, each measuring 4' x 20'. It took a whopping 10 days to install the ad (the adidas spot took a mere seven days). Like most building ads, the material is weather-resistant, perforated and see-through.

Corporate ads have never appeared on hotel facades before -- only small self-promotional ads for a property's shows. Elite Media pioneered the concept last year when President Chad McCullough suggested to both hotels that they sell their exteriors as ad space, according to Jen Grant, president of sales and marketing.

The adidas ad was placed by Posterscope on behalf of Carat and T-Mobile was placed by OOH Pitch for Optimedia.