KFC has admitted that its famous Finger Lickin ‘Good slogan is not quite right for the era of face masks and official handwashing advice, as it launches a new advertising campaign with a change of focus.
The fast food chain has recognized that it needs to move, at least temporarily, from the tagline it has used on and off for more than six decades, releasing new images of ad stickers and packaging with the words blurry and pixelated.
The move comes about five months after it drew ads with the catch-up amid complaints that the featured montage of people was leaking with their own fingers and those of their companions against official advice to limit the spread of the virus. According to the Drum, more than 150 people complained to the Authority for Advertising Standards in March.
KFC said the slogan would return “if the time is right”, but that it would shift its messaging in the meantime. The chain temporarily closed its locations in March as a result of the pandemic, but has now reopened the majority of its stores with stricter health and safety policies in place.
“We find ourselves in a unique situation – with an iconic slogan that does not quite fit into the current environment,” said Catherine Tan-Gillespie, Global Chief Marketing Officer. “While we pause the use of ‘It’s Finger Lickin’ Good ‘, you should be sure that the food desired by so many people around the world does not change one thing.”
The chain has more than 900 restaurants in the UK and Ireland and has 27,000 employees.
It’s not the first time KFC has dropped its most famous slogan. The company brought it back to a near 10-year hiatus in 2008.
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