Betfair breaks record for largest billboard

by Kate Langtry, Brand Republic 20-Jun-08, 13:55

LONDON - Online betting company Betfair has secured the Guinness World Record for the world's biggest billboard, which has to be viewed from the air and is located near Vienna airport.

The billboard was specifically timed and placed to catch the eyes of incoming fans flying to Vienna for Euro 2008. It is expected that more than 1m passengers will see it on their approach into Vienna during June.

Local farmers spent four months "growing" the billboard using nine tonnes of wheat seed, 53,000 marigold plants, 1.5 km of cotton netting as well as rape, camomile, mustard, clover, poppies and grass.

It measures 1,380m by 316m and covers an area of more than 50 football pitches. It shows the Betfair logo alongside the message: "No.1 for football and still growing!"

It has now been officially ratified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Largest Advertising Hoarding.

Adrian Murdock of Betfair said: "We may not have a team at Euro 2008 but there is at least some corner of a foreign field that is most definitely a piece of the UK -- for a short while anyway."