PORNHUB’S giant erection in New York’s Times Square has come down, apparently on grounds of taste.

The 17mx15m billboard was a shot in the dark for the porn giant, which had not previously made a big splash in public places.

But the campaign, featuring the design of competition winner Nuri Galver from Istanbul, has finished prematurely after stiff criticism.

No more Pornhub Billboard in Times Square :( pic.twitter.com/hBH3fZvkz5 — Pornhub Katie (@Pornhub) October 8, 2014

The advert read “All you need is hand” over an image of two hands making the shape of a heart.

Pornhub hired the Gotham Rock Choir to mark the erection last night with a parody rendition of The Beatles’ All You Need Is Love.

But the fun was over within a few hours, a fact The Guardian has attributed to possible complaints from the Doubletree Hilton hotel, where the billboard was located.

Pornhub launched its competition for a “safe for work” ad campaign back in March, announcing that the winner would become a creative director at the firm.

After beating off the competition, which included ads with slogans “Everyone’s got a ritual. Discover yours” and “America’s Largest Do-It-Yourself website”, Mr Galver will now work at Pornhub for at least 12 months.

The company is already famous for its creative, innuendo-strewn advertising, but it has struggled to reach a mainstream audience, last year claiming its Super Bowl advert featuring an elderly couple had been rejected by CBS.

More successful campaigns include their Arbor Day “gives America wood” initiative to plant trees for everyone viewing certain videos, and hiring Duke University porn star Belle Knox as an intern.

Will the porn industry ever manage to slip into the mainstream?