Submitted Art
PETA is proposing this banner or billboard for display on Minot’s Third Street Bridge, with advertising revenue helping to pay for bridge repairs.
Minot city officials are considering a rather unconventional proposal: a large image of a cow on the Third Street Bridge. The idea, pitched this week by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), aims to help fund upcoming bridge repairs through advertising revenue.
A Vegan Plea for Infrastructure Funding
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PETA proposes a unique solution to bridge repair costs, sparking debate about advertising on public property.
- PETA offered to purchase advertising space on the northeast Minot bridge.
- The proposed signage would feature a cow and promote a vegan starter kit with the message, “Get Over (That Meat Addiction)!”
- City officials are evaluating the feasibility and appropriateness of advertising on public infrastructure.
- PETA has successfully used similar advertising strategies on bridges in other cities, including Chicago.
Mayor Mark Jantzer indicated that a decision requires careful consideration of billboard placement criteria and whether allowing advertising on public infrastructure is even viable. The proposed advertisement would prominently feature the face of a cow and encourage residents to explore a vegan lifestyle.
A Long-Standing Advertising Strategy
Amber Canavan, associate director of Vegan Campaigns at PETA, explained that utilizing public infrastructure for advertising has been a core strategy for the organization for approximately two decades. “We’re always looking for creative ways of getting the message out there, and one of them is through creative advertising,” Canavan said. “We thought the situation with the bridge would be perfect.”
The Minot signage could take the form of a banner or billboard, designed to be large and visually striking. The ultimate goal, according to Canavan, is to initiate conversations about the ethical implications of animal agriculture.
“we want drivers to pause and consider the lives suffering behind the scenes in the meat industry,” she explained. “Cows, such as, are clever and self aware individuals. They recognize faces of other cows, even just from photographs, and they love their families just as much as we do.So, we’re just encouraging people to give them a thought as they’re going about their daily lives and maybe make some changes.”
PETA has run similar campaigns nationwide and has previously advertised in North Dakota. The specific price and duration of the advertising in Minot would be subject to negotiation with the city.
City Weighs Options and Concerns
Jantzer emphasized the need to review existing city ordinances regarding permitted advertising. He also highlighted the importance of assessing whether the proposed content is appropriate and potentially divisive, and whether approving this ad could open the door to requests from other groups seeking advertising space on public property.
“This needs some work before anything would move forward,” Jantzer said. “Maybe in the right circumstances there are some possibilities for doing some of that. But we’re not there yet,” he added.”We’ll try to explore it and see what the pros and cons are. If it looks like it’s something we want to seriously consider,then it’ll have to come before the council.”
