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Hotel complaints lead to Pornhub’s Times Square end getting pulled

The porn tube giant's safe-for-work advertisment was too suggestive for some. 

 

Greg Seals

Tech

Posted on Oct 9, 2014   Updated on May 30, 2021, 10:42 am CDT

Only a few days after Pornhub unveiled the biggest erection in the site’s history, things have already gone limp. Sadly, the porn tube giant’s 54 feet of safe-for-work advertising–which was unveiled in Times Square on Monday morning–was met with such critical response, it was removed by Wednesday evening.  

Unlike a majority of the site’s users, the unveiling of the site’s billboard was a long time coming. The effort began in March with an open call asking viewers for their most creative, clever, and SFW advertising ideas, as the brand planned its first national ad campaign. After reviewing some 3,000 submissions, it was Nuri Gulver’s “All you need is hand” tag that won and was unveiled in the flesh on Monday.

No more Pornhub Billboard in Times Square :( pic.twitter.com/hBH3fZvkz5

— Pornhub Katie (@Pornhub) October 8, 2014

But Pornhub didn’t just want to draw eyes to their billboard: The site unveiled the billboard with the assitance of the Gotham Rock Choir. The group performed an acapella Pornhub-themed rendition of the Beatles hit “All You Need is Love.”

All You Need is Hand – Click this link to check out the choir singing in Times Square: https://t.co/kYzXZcHzsm pic.twitter.com/ETWD8bE5Vq

— Pornhub Katie (@Pornhub) October 7, 2014

By Wednesday evening, however things had fallen silent and the space above the Stoli billboard was vacant. Though the porn tube giant had been approved for the advertisement and braved their way through the appropriate contractual red tape, it was the Doubletree hotel and its General Manager that hosted the billboard space that took issue with the ad. A PR representative for Pornhub, Mike Williams, spoke to the Daily Dot about the removal.

it’s unclear as to why the GM decided to voice her opinion that late in the game, so to speakmight have been the media attention, or she just had her own opinion of adult entertainment advertising that didn’t sit well.

This isn’t the first time the site has faced setbacks in their attempts to expose themselves to the masses. In an attempt to get some airtime during the 2013 Super Bowl, the Pornhub produced a 20-second SFW ad spot that was decidedly tamer than anything GoDaddy or Carl’s Jr. ever filmed. Yet, by the nature of their business, CBS dubbed the porn tube giant’s work unfit for their audience by rejecting it.

Attempts to find another suitable space for the billboard in Times Square ultimately caved in and the company who owns the billboard space, City Outdoor, has reassured the site they will be recieving their $100,000 back in full.

H/T The Guardian | Photo courtesy of Pornhub

 

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*First Published: Oct 9, 2014, 5:50 pm CDT