The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, more commonly known as PETA, offered two struggling city pools $1,000 each to help pay for lifeguard certifications and offset operation costs.
But it came with a cheeky proposition: City administrators would have to agree to hang a risqué banner promoting the vegan lifestyle. Both cities declined in part because the ads prominently displayed a woman’s posterior clad in a skimpy yellow thong.
The first pool PETA targeted for the provocative banner was in South Pittsburg, Tenn., a rural town of only 2,800. But the organization’s offer was too little, too late. Mayor Virgil Holder closed the facility for the summer due to budget cuts. The $1,000 incentive would have been a proverbial drop in the bucket, he said.
“It only costs us $25,000 a year just to operate the pool,” Holder harrumphed.
Last year, it brought in revenue of $1,200.
As for the content of the ad?
“Oh, that would’ve gone over real well in this small community,” he said sarcastically.
The animal advocates also approached Youngstown, Ohio. One of its public pools was fast approaching its open date and it had only one lifeguard application. PETA suggested that the city use the $1,000 to offset certification costs as a recruiting mechanism. The group said it would even lend its Lettuce Ladies to serve vegan ice cream to lifeguards.
But Mayor John McNally said the nearly bare bottom was a deal breaker.
PETA then countered with a toned-down version that replaced the string bikini with more conservative attire, “but [we] didn’t get a response, which is disappointing,” said Katerina Davidovich, a campaign organizer for the animal-rights group.
While PETA’s promotion may not have had any takers, it demonstrates that there is sponsorship money available to help fund city aquatics programs – if operators know where to look.
As a service, some pool-management firms will try to secure sponsors for clients.
“We actually do a good bit of that,” said Alison Abbott, director of business operations at USA Management in Atlanta, Ga.
PETA’s offer was a pittance compared to what’s generally accepted as a good sponsorship deal.
“We barely do sponsorships for $1,000,” Abbott said. “They’re generally much bigger.”
Abbott said she would never approach her clients with PETA’s idea. “They would look at me like I was insane,” she said.
PETA has a long history of controversial marketing tactics. “Experience has taught us that provocative ad campaigns really make the difference between allowing important subjects to remain invisible and exposing them to the public,” Davidovich said.
The thong, along with the tagline “Dive into a vegan lifestyle,” is intended to make people think about the food they eat and where it comes from. “We want to encourage these cities to go vegan,” Davidovich added, “and our ads will help residents reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer.”
PETA is determined to use the racy image to promote an animal-free diet. It will appear on six billboards throughout Phoenix, Davidovich said — all within close proximity to a pool.
