'Finger Lickin' Good' no more — KFC scraps 'inappropriate' slogan due to coronavirus pandemic
Kentucky Fried Chicken’s famous slogan has flown the coop.
On Monday, KFC’s global headquarters announced that after 64 years, it will temporarily halt the use of its “It’s Finger Lickin’ Good” catchphrase in select countries; the U.S. has not used the slogan since March. Per a press release, the not-so-hygienic prompt feels “inappropriate” in light of the coronavirus pandemic and its push for vigilant hand-washing over, say, stuffing fingers coated in 11 herbs and spices into one’s mouth.
“We find ourselves in a unique situation — having an iconic slogan that doesn’t quite fit in the current environment,” Catherine Tan-Gillespie, KFC’s global chief marketing officer says in the statement. “While we are pausing the use of ‘It’s Finger Lickin’ Good,’ rest assured the food craved by so many people around the world isn’t changing one bit.”
The news comes a few months after Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority received more than 100 complaints concerning a KFC commercial in that region showing diners enthusiastically sucking their fingers post-drumstick. KFC U.K. and Ireland — which, in a stroke of bad timing, had launched that campaign in late February — agreed in March to discontinue the ads following complaints that it was improper as COVID-19 transmission spread.
Of course, Colonel Sanders is never one to pass up an opportunity. The slogan switch-up is the inspiration for a buzzy new advertising campaign — running in the U.K, Netherlands, South Africa, Canada and parts of Asia, Middle East and North Africa — that shows the tagline blurred out of billboards and packaging.
“That thing we always say?” a video posted by KFC U.K. and Ireland says. “Ignore it. For now.”
Though it remains to be seen when the slogan can be safely restored, the fast-food chain has hinted that a future campaign will celebrate a return to finger licking.
“If KFC is famous for one thing, it’s big flavor,” a statement sent to Yahoo Life reads. “It’s what we do. We dial things up to 11. And this is a big moment for KFC. A big decision. And not a decision we’re taking lightly — that slogan feels like it’s in our DNA, but this is the right thing to do. It’s been a tough year and we’ll miss those beloved two words, but this is just a pause, a hiatus, a sabbatical, whatever you want to call it. Just like Schwarzenegger, it will be back. Bigger and better than ever.”
But for now, it’s all about clean digits and risk-mitigating practices, including contactless delivery and drive-through service — at least until the world has this pandemic, erm, licked.
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC’s and WHO’s resource guides.
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