Global fast-food chain KFC said it was halting its 64-year-old “Finger Lickin’ Good” slogan in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In a press release published on 24 August 2020 Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC said: “We find ourselves in a unique situation—having an iconic slogan that doesn’t quite fit in the current environment.”
According to the BBC the concern regarding the slogan had begun in March after the onset of the pandemic.
BBC said: “The Advertising Standards Authority received 163 complaints about a KFC TV advert which featured people licking their fingers.”
Since the virus could be transmitted through contact, respiratory droplets, and could spread through airborne transmission, the slogan was a cause for concern among the general public.
People feared that the slogan encouraged others to indulge in behavior that may have been harmful and helped fuel the spread of the virus, like people licking their fingers without having washed their hands prior to eating.
However, the fast-food chain assured customers that the quality of food and their “11 herb spice” recipe would remain the same and up to their usual standard.
KFC even released a video with pictures of old KFC billboards and iconic red and white buckets with the words ‘It’s Finger Lickin’ blurred out as a part of their marketing campaign.
KFC promised fans that the slogan would be back “when the time is right”.
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