Last week, Viacom officials in Kansas City told PETA that the billboard company wouldn't accept its newest ad, which reads "Eating meat can make you impotent" and includes photos of a pig, a hot dog and a big-bellied male gazing into his pants at a presumably unporky penis.
"We want people to know that cholesterol clogs all the organs, not just the heart," says Joe Haptas, a Norfolk, Virginia-based PETA campaign coordinator. "Pork, chicken and beef are all loaded with cholesterol."
Tracy Holmes, head of Kansas City's Viacom Outdoor, says PETA's campaign linking pork to porking violated company policy against accepting "in your face," tasteless or negative advertising. "There's a way of getting a message across without being so offensive," she says.
Kara Flynn, director of communications for the Washington, D.C.-based National Pork Council, isn't amused. "Pork is lower in cholesterol than beef, it's safe to say. But that's not the issue. Who in the meat industry doesn't get attacked by PETA?" Flynn asks.
PETA once tried to skewer the beef industry by attempting to run a billboard with a photo of a bikini-clad babe saying, "I threw a party, but the cattlemen couldn't come."
Men who are worried about their wieners might take the warning with a shaker of salt, though. Haptas has been a vegan for the last six years but says he hasn't noticed any improvement in his love life. "I never had any problems in that arena."
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