Usain Bolt on largest signboard

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The mega-sized image of Bolt is part of the company's "What IF_" global brand campaign ads. The campaign is a global initiative utilising the major international airports across the world with a multi-channel communication strategy that will be implemented over the next couple of years.

The billboard shows Bolt, already a standout at 1.95m tall in the flesh, at over 4.1m even in a crouched position. The billboard, installed in Terminal 3 at Dubai International, measures 28m in length and 6.2m in height, with a surface area of 174 m2 and 183,024 white LEDs.

It is estimated that it would take the world's fastest man the same time to run across the length of the ad as it takes a model year 2013 Nissan GT-R to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/hour - 2.7 seconds.

Commenting on the new Guinness accolade, Bolt said, "It is a pleasure being part of another world record and I continue breaking world records, because that's what I do."

Official Guinness recognition

Paul O'Neill, VP of Guinness World Records, officially recognised the backlit indoor advertising sign as the largest of its type in the world. O'Neill presented a Guinness World Record certificate recognizing this feat to Roel de-Vries, global marketing VP and Atsuo Kosaka, MD of Nissan Middle East. The recognition was shared with Dubai International and a specially commissioned commemorative plaque of the record was offered to His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Department of Civil Aviation and chairman of Dubai Airports.

"It felt natural to choose Dubai International, one of the largest and most important airports in the world, as of one of the key locations for the deployment of our global brand campaign. The company is proud to have achieved a world record in Dubai, the city of so many world records," commented De-Vries.

Atsuo Kosaka adds, "When we began this project, we were bold enough to ask ourselves, what if we can turn our advertising at Dubai International into a world record?' Today we see the result of that commitment as we once again deliver 'Innovation that Excites' into everything we do in the Middle East region."