Hilton Hotels is sponsoring MSNBC?s revamped mobile platform via display banners and cobranded rich-media ad units that are an extension of the brand?s mobile strategy.

The hotel chain is taking over MSNBC?s entire mobile site today using both 300x250 and 300x50 ads. Hilton is running banner ads semi-exclusively for the remainder of the month and is also a featured sponsor of MSNBC breaking news text-message alerts.

?As the leading global hotel brand, we know that today?s travelers are increasingly turning to mobile technology for everything from breaking news to booking hotel rooms,? said Andrew Flack, vice president of global brand marketing at Hilton Hotels, Beverly Hills, CA.   

?Hilton guests are incredibly tech-savvy, so mobile devices and other contemporary communication channels enable us to share our global story with them in a highly relevant and engaging way,? he said.

?This is an expansion of our comprehensive mobile strategy that includes our Hilton Hotels iPhone app, which recently surpassed 100,000 downloads.?

Hilton is a leader of hospitality that welcomes guests in more countries than any other full-service hotel brand. The Hilton brand currently includes more than 530 hotels and resorts in 76 countries, and plans to serve travelers in 80 countries by the end of 2011. 

MSNBC is a news organization whose mobile site was recently redesigned.

Hilton will be making use of the larger 300x250 ads, which are very infrequently seen on mobile. 

Here is a screen grab:

The smaller banner ads drive consumers to the Hilton mobile site and the larger ones promote the hotel chain?s iPhone application.

Here is a screen grab of the 300x50 banner ad:

When clicked on, consumers are taken to the Hilton mobile site.

Here is a screen grab of the hotel chain's mobile site:

?The larger ad size is a major plus for advertisers because it decreases their cost of entry into mobile by allowing them to repurpose creative and landing pages typically reserved for a PC site,? said Jeff Maurone, product manager at MSNBC.com, New York.     

?And with the wide range of brands in our network, we can target advertising based on the audience the marketer would like to reach,? he said. ?We have existing relationships with a number of strategic partners to sell mobile display, video and alerts, and a range of banner ads. 

?We work closely with marketers to create campaigns using all of our mobile tools to help them reach their goals.?

Redesigned site
Consumers with an iPhone, Android, Palm Pre and other qualifying devices can enjoy the new mobile site. 

Smartphone users can now touch, flip and scroll through the interactive multimedia features on MSNBC?s mobile site to get their news. 

The mobile site is integrated with NBC News and MSNBC cable video, so viewers can easily find and watch their favorite segments. 

The new features include customizable content categories that can be expanded or collapsed, UpScroll navigation and touch-and-scroll slideshows that showcase larger photos. 

?Consumers are buying phones that give them more sensory, immersive experiences,? Mr. Maurone said. ?We wanted to develop a mobile news site that is as smart as their phones. 

?Our site offers smartphone users the full range of diverse content from the site in a unique, branded presentation,? he said.

?Each brand has its own look and feel, so as we built the mobile site, we captured the personality and essence of each individual brand so consumers could enjoy the same content they love, in a compelling and rich mobile environment they?ve come to expect from that brand.?