By the time the NFL descends on Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI, there will be a plethora of ads ready to air on NBC and a bevy of marketers lined up to show their wares. There also will be group of buildings that will have been transformed from brick-and-mortar structures to billboards that will be viewed by people both nationwide and internationally.

For the past week, official NFL sponsors have been able to go to a dedicated Web site to bid on a unique, limited-time offer: Placing their ads on buildings near Lucas Oil Stadium for a ten-day period before and during the Super Bowl. The structures range from several floors high to skyscrapers, all of which will be in the heart of a city that is expected to welcome as many as 150,000 visitors and receive worldwide media attention.

The bidding currently features 17 buildings throughout an area known as “The Clean Zone,” which is overseen by the Indianapolis Department of Code Enforcement. The Clean Zone is roughly a one square mile area surrounding Lucas Oil Stadium, in which special one-time considerations, such as building wraps, are being allowed.

The bidding runs now through Dec. 16. Bidding starts at $25K, $35K and $55K, depending on size and location. “Buy it now” offers range from $50,000 to $200,000 per wall face. Only companies designated as official NFL sponsors are allowed to bid, but that includes more than 70 marketers, such as Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo, Bridgestone and Visa.

The auction is being handled on-line under the auspices of The Mattison Corp., an Indianapolis consulting firm. The strategy could bring in more than $1.5 million for building owners.

“Indianapolis building owners have made serious sacrifices for the good of the city and for the good of the Super Bowl.” Chris Price, partner at The Mattison Corp., said in a statement. “Disruptions from construction have made it difficult to keep tenants in their buildings and the building owners have felt a pinch. This auction will be a welcome boost for a deserving group of businesses.”

The bidding comes with its own marketing pitch. “Imagine your company’s advertisement on a building, parking garage or walkway within one mile of the biggest event of the year! Over 150,000 people are expected to converge on downtown Indianapolis during the 10 days leading up to the Super Bowl.”

According to Mattison Corp., “These building wrap advertisements will allow your company to be viewed by tens of thousands of people each day plus millions who will watch television coverage of the concerts, special events and festivities surrounding the event. A [30-second] spot in the Super Bowl costs over $3 million. This is your opportunity to potentially be on the broadcast during aerial shots and street level views of the city at a fraction of that cost.” (Full details here.)

A 45-page guide detailing specific requirements and payments was issued by the Indianapolis Dept. of Code Enforcement and the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee. Among the rules:  “A minimum of 60% of the total square footage of the sign face shall reference Super Bowl XLVI, the National Football League, or other NFL entities or subsidiaries via sanctioned logos and emblems. The remainder of the sign may reference event sponsor-approved sponsors and licensees.” (Sample above.)

Among the building facades being auctioned: The east, north and south faces of One America Building, where each ad would be approximately 533 feet tall; the east and north sides of Station Place (each ad approximately 110′ wide x 68′ high; and the south and west sides of the Majestic Building (65′ x 140′). Each face of One America had a starting bid of $35k and a buy now price of $100K.

Super Bowl host cities annually sell building facades as billboard space. One of the the most famous Super Bowl-related building ads were in Detroit during Super Bowl XL. It covered 21 stories and featured what was then the new 2007 GM Cadillac Escalade and included what appeared to be paparazzi hanging out of windows snapping shots of the car.

The windows were fake and the people were mannequins built as part of the ad, complete with popping light bulbs to simulate photo flashes. It actually masked a vacant building located near Ford Field.

That year, General Motors also wrapped its corporate headquarters in Detroit. The 73-story high middle tower showed logos for Super Bowl XL, the NFL and Cadillac, the official auto sponsor of that year’s game.